Kondo-effect protected topological surface states on Sb(111)

Abstract: Local density of states and quasiparticle interference phenomena of Co/Sb(111) were investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. A sharp peak observed near the Fermi energy is interpreted as a fingerprint of the conventional Kondo resonance with the Kondo temperature of K. Moreover, by identifying the interference wavevectors, only the scattering channels relating to backscattering confinements are observed for surfaces with and without the Co deposition. It reveals that the Kondo effect fully screens the magnetic impurities and thereby suppresses the backscattering of the topological surface state.