Observation of spin-momentum locked surface states in amorphous Bi₂Se₃

Crystalline symmetries have played a central role in the identification of topological materials. The use of symmetry indicators and band representations have enabled a classification scheme for crystalline topological materials, leading to large scale topological materials discovery. In this work we address whether amorphous topological materials, which lie beyond this classification due to the lack of long-range structural order, exist in the solid state. We study amorphous Bi$_2$Se$_3$ thin films, which show a metallic behavior and an increased bulk resistance. The observed low field magnetoresistance due to weak antilocalization demonstrates a significant number of two dimensional surface conduction channels. Our angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy data is consistent with a dispersive two-dimensional surface state that crosses the bulk gap. Spin resolved photoemission spectroscopy shows this state has an anti-symmetric spin texture resembling that of the surface state of crystalline Bi$_2$Se$_3$. These experimental results are consistent with theoretical photoemission spectra obtained with an amorphous tight-binding model that utilizes a realistic amorphous structure. This discovery of amorphous materials with topological properties uncovers an overlooked subset of topological matter outside the current classification scheme, enabling a new route to discover materials that can enhance the development of scalable topological devices.