磁性液体的介电特性

在外加磁化场的作用下,磁性液体的介电特性表现出与一般物质所不同的新效应——磁电方向效应,即介电常数不但依赖于外加磁化场的大小,而且还依赖于外加磁化场与电场之间的相对方向。根据实验观察到的磁性液体中的磁性颗粒呈球形,在外加磁化场的作用下,磁性颗粒呈长链形分布的这一实验事实,我们用长链模型进行理论分析,合理地解释了磁电方向效应。理论与实验结果符合。 关键词：     

Spin Chern numbers and time-reversal-symmetry-broken quantum spin Hall effect

The quantum spin Hall （QSH） effect is considered to be unstable to perturbations violating the time-reversal （TR） symmetry. We review some recent developments in the search of the QSH effect in the absence of the TR symmetry. The possibility to realize a robust QSH effect by artificial removal of the TR symmetry of the edge states is explored. As a useful tool to characterize topological phases without the TR symmetry, the spin-Chern number theory is introduced.     

Coupling-matrix approach to the Chern number calculation in disordered systems

The Chern number is often used to distinguish different topological phases of matter in two-dimensional electron systems. A fast and efficient coupling-matrix method is designed to calculate the Chern number in finite crystalline and disordered systems. To show its effectiveness, we apply the approach to the Haldane model and the lattice Hofstadter model, and obtain the correct quantized Chern numbers. The disorder-induced topological phase transition is well reproduced, when the disorder strength is increased beyond the critical value. We expect the method to be widely applicable to the study of topological quantum numbers.