Circularly polarized light interaction in topological insulators investigated by time-resolved ARPES

Topological Insulators (TI) represent a hot-topic for both basic physics and promising applications because of the in-plane spin-polarized surface states (TSS) arising within the bulk insulating energy gap. The backscattering protection and the control of the spin polarization using ultrashort light pulses open new scenarios in the use of this class of materials for future opto-spintronic devices. Using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on Sb x Bi(2−x )Se y Te(3−y ) class we studied the response of spin-polarized electrons to ultrashort circularly-polarized pulses. Here, we report for the first time the experimental evidence of a direct coupling between light and empty topological surface states (ESS) and the establishment of a flow of spin-polarized electrons in k-space i.e. a photon-induced spin-current.