Electronic Structure of the ${\mathrm{Na}}_{x}{\mathrm{CoO}}_{2}$ Surface

Electronic Structure of the ${Na}_{x} {CoO}_{2}$ Surface

D. Pillay, M. D. Johannes, and I. I. Mazin

Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 246808 – Published 11 December 2008

Abstract

The idea that surface effects may play an important role in suppressing Fermi surface pockets on () has been frequently proposed to explain the discrepancy between local-density approximation calculations which find hole pockets present and Angle resolved photoemission spectra (ARPES) experiments, which do not observe the hole pockets. Since ARPES is a surface sensitive technique, it is important to investigate the effects that surface formation will have on the electronic structure. We show that a combination of surface formation and contamination effects could resolve the ongoing controversy between ARPES experiments and theory.