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IMAGE: An illustration depicting a topological surface state with an energy band gap (an energy range where electrons are forbidden) between the apices of the top and corresponding bottom cones (allowed. view more
Credit: Dan Nevola, Brookhaven National Laboratory
UPTON, NY Electrons in a solid occupy distinct energy bands separated by gaps. Energy band gaps are an electronic no man s land, an energy range where no electrons are allowed. Now, scientists studying a compound containing iron, tellurium, and selenium have found that an energy band gap opens at a point where two allowed energy bands intersect on the material s surface. They observed this unexpected electronic behavior when they cooled the material and probed its electronic structure with laser light. Their findings, reported in the