Angle-resolved photoemission studies of quantum materials

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has emerged as a leading experimental probe for studying the complex phenomena in quantum materials, a subject of increasing importance. The power of this technique stems from the directness and the richness of the momentum-resolved information it can provide, such as band dispersion, Fermi surface topology, and electron self-energy. Over the past decade, the significantly improved energy and momentum resolution and carefully matched experiments have turned this technique into a sophisticated tool in characterizing the electronic structure of complex materials. This revolution is mostly evident in the study of cuprate high-temperature superconductors. More recently, this technique has played a critical role in advancing our understanding of the newly discovered iron-based superconductors and topological insulators. In this paper we review some of the recent ARPES results and discuss the future perspective in this rapidly developing field.