拓扑绝缘体的普适电导涨落

拓扑绝缘体因其无能量耗散的拓扑表面输运而备受关注, 揭示拓扑表面态因其 的贝利相位而产生的拓扑输运现象, 将有助于拓扑绝缘体相关器件的应用开发. 本文回顾了普适电导涨落(UCF) 揭示拓扑绝缘体奇异输运性质的研究进展. 通过调控温度、角度、门电压、垂直磁场和平行磁场等外部参量, 实现了对拓扑绝缘体的UCF 效应的系统研究, 证实了拓扑绝缘体中二维UCF 的输运现象, 并通过尺寸标度规律获得了UCF 的拓扑起源的实验证据, 讨论了拓扑表面态的UCF 的统计对称规律. 从而实现了对拓扑绝缘体UCF 效应的较为完整的理解.     

椭偏法测量拓扑绝缘体的复折射率

采用椭偏法测量了拓扑绝缘体Bi2Te3单晶的复折射率.运用经典的德鲁德和托克-洛伦兹模型分别对拓扑绝缘体的表面态和体态进行拟合,获得了其折射率和消光系数,并且分析了色散曲线的变化规律.实验结果表明:Bi2Te3拓扑绝缘体的体态具有类半导体特性(含带隙),折射率在近红外波段可达7以上;表面态具有类金属特性,厚度约为2.52nm.     

拓扑绝缘体薄膜生长与栅电压调控输运特性研究

文章讨论了三维拓扑绝缘体制备和输运性质研究方面的进展情况.首先介绍了拓扑绝缘体体材料和薄膜的制备,并介绍了文章作者利用分子束外延方法,在硅表面以及高介电常数材料钛酸锶表面生长高质量拓扑绝缘体Bi2Se3薄膜的工作.然后介绍了拓扑绝缘体输运研究的现状,以及文章作者在栅电压调控拓扑绝缘体外延薄膜的化学势和输运性质方面的研究成果.     

Bi基拓扑绝缘体纳米薄片的制备和输运性质的研究

拓扑绝缘体表面态传输耗散少,有可能作为变电站中的电传输新材料.我们采用化学气相沉积法制备了Bi_2Te_3拓扑绝缘体纳米薄片,通过光学显微镜、原子力显微镜和扫描电镜表征,优化了制备参数进而获得Bi_2Te_3纳米薄片.采用光刻技术在Bi_2Te_3纳米薄片上制作金属电极,测量其输运性质,观察到了来自拓扑表面态的弱反局域化效应.运用传统的弱局域化理论得到表面态电子的退相干长度约为130 nm.     

拓扑绝缘体电子态的电场调控

文章简要介绍了对拓扑绝缘体性质的电场控制,主要包括三维拓扑绝缘体表面磁性的电场控制、电子在p-n结中的类光输运行为以及拓扑绝缘体量子点的特性.     

反铁磁轴子绝缘体候选材料EuIn_2As_2的表面原子排布和电子结构

非平庸的能带拓扑性与磁性结合可以产生丰富的量子现象,包括量子反常霍尔效应、轴子绝缘体态等.不同于磁性掺杂和异质结方案,内禀磁性拓扑绝缘体避免了掺杂带来的无序,且制备工艺通常比异质结更加简单,因此对研究和利用磁性拓扑绝缘体都有重要的意义.最近,EuIn_2As_2被认为是内禀反铁磁轴子绝缘体,本文使用低温扫描隧道显微镜研究了它的解理表面的原子排布和电子结构.结合原子分辨形貌图、晶格对称性分析以及局域态密度等信息,认为观测到的表面条纹结构来源于Eu截止面50%覆盖度的1×2表面重构.通过条纹面的局域态密度测量,发现4 K时费米能附近态密度存在非对称的谷-峰特征,该特征随温度升高逐渐变弱,在反铁磁相变温度以上完全消失,表明其与反铁磁序密切相关.此外,在某些台阶附近,伴随有少量迷宫状的结构,进一步分析认为可能是Eu原子形成的翘曲结构导致的.这些结果为理解EuIn_2As_2的表面能带结构和拓扑性质提供了重要信息.     

磁场中拓扑物态的量子输运

拓扑物态包括拓扑绝缘体、拓扑半金属以及拓扑超导体.拓扑物态奇异的能带结构以及受拓扑保护的新奇表面态,使其具有了独特的输运性质.拓扑半金属作为物质的一种三维拓扑态具有无能隙的准粒子激发,根据导带和价带的接触类型分为外尔半金属、狄拉克半金属和节线半金属.本文以拓扑半金属为主回顾了在磁场下拓扑物态中量子输运的最新工作,在不同的磁场范围内分别给出了描述拓扑物态输运行为的主要理论.     

在人工拓扑超导体磁通涡旋中寻找Majorana零能模

寻找具有拓扑序的新物质态是目前一个非常活跃和令人激动的研究领域.与拓扑绝缘体类似,在超导体中也存在着拓扑非平庸的超导态,它与传统的超导体在拓扑性上是不等价的,这种具有非平庸拓扑序的超导体被称为拓扑超导体.拓扑超导体在体内具有非零的超导能隙,而在表面有无能隙的表面态.理论预言在拓扑超导体中能够实现具有非Abelian统计特性的Majorana费米子. Majorana费米子可以用来构建拓扑量子比特,在拓扑量子计算方面有重大的科研和应用前景.拓扑绝缘体的出现催生出了许多人工拓扑超导体材料.本专题将主要介绍在拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结中探测Majorana费米子的一系列实验工作.通过对拓扑超导体的研究,人们对超导电性有了全新的认识,有可能找到实现Majorana费米子新奇量子物理性质的方法.     

封面故事

铁基超导体与拓扑绝缘体是当前凝聚态物理研究的热点。铁基超导体是非常规超导体,不同于传统的电声耦合机制的BCS超导体,其超导配对机制的解释仍然是凝聚态物理理论的一个难点。在拓扑绝缘体这类材料中,由于能带的反转,体态仍然保持绝缘态,但是在表面或者边界上存在着导电的金属态。超导体与拓扑绝缘体的结合被认为是实现拓扑超导体和Majorana费米子的一个非常有希望     

相互作用拓扑绝缘体中拓扑不变量的计算取得进展

正拓扑物质形态,如具有拓扑序的量子霍尔态以及拓扑绝缘体,是近年来凝聚态物理领域最大的进展之一~([1—6])。在拓扑绝缘体中加入电子之间的强关联相互作用,研究可能涌现的新的拓扑物态,以及拓扑物态之间由于相互作用驱动的拓扑相变,是人们关心的问题~([7—29])。前期拓扑绝缘体的理论和实验研究,主要集中于无相互作用或弱     

Topological crystalline insulators

The recent discovery of topological insulators has revived interest in the band topology of insulators. In this Letter, we extend the topological classification of band structures to include certain crystal point group symmetry. We find a class of three-dimensional "topological crystalline insulators" which have metallic surface states with quadratic band degeneracy on high symmetry crystal surfaces. These topological crystalline insulators are the counterpart of topological insulators in materials without spin-orbit coupling. Their band structures are characterized by new topological invariants. We hope this work will enlarge the family of topological phases in band insulators and stimulate the search for them in real materials.     

Observation of Topological Links Associated with Hopf Insulators in a Solid-State Quantum Simulator

Hopf insulators are intriguing three-dimensional topological insulators characterized by an integer topological invariant. They originate from the mathematical theory of Hopf fibration and epitomize the deep connection between knot theory and topological phases of matter, which distinguishes them from other classes of topological insulators. Here, we implement a model Hamiltonian for Hopf insulators in a solid-state quantum simulator and report the first experimental observation of their topological properties,including nontrivial topological links associated with the Hopf fibration and the integer-valued topological invariant obtained from a direct tomographic measurement. Our observation of topological links and Hopf fibration in a quantum simulator opens the door to probe rich topological properties of Hopf insulators in experiments. The quantum simulation and probing methods are also applicable to the study of other intricate three-dimensional topological model Hamiltonians.     

Topological insulator: Spintronics and quantum computations

Topological insulators are emergent states of quantum matter that are gapped in the bulk with timereversal symmetry-preserved gapless edge/surface states, adiabatically distinct from conventional materials. By proximity to various magnets and superconductors, topological insulators show novel physics at the interfaces, which give rise to two new areas named topological spintronics and topological quantum computation. Effects in the former such as the spin torques, spin-charge conversion, topological antiferromagnetic spintronics, and skyrmions realized in topological systems will be addressed. In the latter, a superconducting pairing gap leads to a state that supports Majorana fermions states, which may provide a new path for realizing topological quantum computation. Various signatures of Majorana zero modes/edge mode in topological superconductors will be discussed. The review ends by outlooks and potential applications of topological insulators. Topological superconductors that are fabricated using topological insulators with superconductors have a full pairing gap in the bulk and gapless surface states consisting of Majorana fermions. The theory of topological superconductors is reviewed, in close analogy to the theory of topological insulators.     

Electrostatic field effects on three-dimensional topological insulators

Three-dimensional topological insulators are a new class of quantum matter which has interesting connections to nearly all main branches of condensed matter physics. In this article, we briefly review the advances in the field effect control of chemical potential in three-dimensional topological insulators. It is essential to the observation of many exotic quantum phenomena predicted to emerge from the topological insulators and their hybrid structures with other materials. We also describe various methods for probing the surface state transport. Some challenges in experimental study of electron transport in topological insulators will also be briefly discussed.     

Studies on the electronic structures of three-dimensional topological insulators by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy

Three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators represent a new state of quantum matter with a bulk gap and odd number of relativistic Dirac fermions on the surface. The unusual surface states of topological insulators rise from the nontrivial topology of their electronic structures as a result of strong spin-orbital coupling. In this review, we will briefly introduce the concept of topological insulators and the experimental method that can directly probe their unique electronic structure: angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). A few examples are then presented to demonstrate the unique band structures of different families of topological insulators and the unusual properties of the topological surface states. Finally, we will briefly discuss the future development of topological quantum materials.     

Optical properties for topological insulators with metamaterials

The two fields of topological insulators and metamaterials are independent. In this Letter, we firstly investigate the Fresnel coefficients for the reflected and refracted electromagnetic waves across the interface between topological insulators and left-handed metamaterials. Then, we derive the exact analytic expressions for Kerr and Faraday rotations. By way of multiple reflections method, we demonstrate that perfect lens with left-handed metamaterials slab and topological insulators can be designed. On the other hand, the processes of reflection and refraction are investigated in the case of topological insulator and chiral metamaterial. Then, we give the reflection and transmission coefficients of topological insulator with a chiral medium slab. Lastly, the potential applications of these results are discussed.     

Topological Insulators in α-Graphyne

In this paper, we investigate topological phases of α-graphyne with tight-binding method. By calculating the topological invariant Z2 and the edge states, we identify topological insulators. We present the phase diagrams of α-graphyne with different filling fractions as a function of spin-orbit interaction and the nearest-neighbor hopping energy. We find there exist topological insulators in α-graphyne. We analyze and discuss the characteristics of topological phases of α-graphyne.     

Proximity effects in topological insulator heterostructures

Topological insulators （Tls） are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which con- ventional proximity effects give rise to a series of exotic physical phenomena. This paper reviews our recent studies on the potential existence of topological proximity effects at the interface between a topological insulator and a normal insu- lator or other topologically trivial systems. Using first-principles approaches, we have realized the tunability of the vertical location of the topological helical state via intriguing dual-proximity effects. To further elucidate the control parameters of this effect, we have used the graphene-based heterostructures as prototypical systems to reveal a more complete phase diagram. On the application side of the topological helical states, we have presented a catalysis example, where the topo- logical helical state plays an essential role in facilitating surface reactions by serving as an effective electron bath, These discoveries lay the foundation for accurate manipulation of the real space properties of the topological helical state in TI- based heterostructures and pave the way for realization of the salient functionality of topological insulators in future device applications.     

Electron transport properties of three-dimensional topological insulators

We review experimental advances in the study of the electron transport in three-dimensional topological insulators with emphasis on experiments that attempted to identify the surface transport. Recent results on transport properties of topological insulator thin films will be discussed in the context of weak antilocalization and electron-electron interactions. Current status of gate-voltage control of the chemical potential in topological insulators will also be described.