Weak antilocalization and interaction-induced localization of Dirac and Weyl Fermions in topological insulators and semimetals

Weak localization and antilocalization are quantum transport phenomena that arise from the quantum interference in disordered metals.At low temperatures,they can give distinct temperature and magnetic field dependences in conductivity,allowing the symmetry of the system to be explored.In the past few years,they have also been observed in newly emergent topological materials,including topological insulators and topological semimetals.In contrast from the conventional electrons,in these new materials the quasiparticles are described as Dirac or Weyl fermions.In this article,we review our recent efforts on the theories of weak antilocalization and interaction-induced localization for Dirac and Weyl fermions in topological insulators and topological semimetals.     

凝聚态材料中的拓扑相与拓扑相变——2016年诺贝尔物理学奖解读

凝聚态物理中拓扑相变和拓扑物态的发现,获得了2016年度诺贝尔物理学奖。文章系统介绍了凝聚态物理中拓扑性的起源,并简要介绍了目前凝聚态物理中发现的主要几类拓扑态：拓扑绝缘体、量子反常霍尔效应、拓扑晶体绝缘体和拓扑半金属。     

Large linear magnetoresistance in a new Dirac material BaMnBi_2

Dirac semimetal is a class of materials that host Dirac fermions as emergent quasi-particles.Dirac cone-type band structure can bring interesting properties such as quantum linear magnetoresistance and large mobility in the materials.In this paper,we report the synthesis of high quality single crystals of BaMnBi_2 and investigate the transport properties of the samples.BaMnBi_2 is a metal with an antiferromagnetic transition at T_N = 288 K.The temperature dependence of magnetization displays different behavior from CaMnBi_2 and SrMnBi_2,which suggests the possible different magnetic structure of BaMnBi_2.The Hall data reveals electron-type carriers and a mobility μ(5K)= 1500 cm~2/V·s.Angle-dependent magnetoresistance reveals the quasi-two-dimensional(2D) Fermi surface in BaMnBi_2- A crossover from semiclassical MR~H~2dependence in low field to MR~H dependence in high field,which is attributed to the quantum limit of Dirac fermions,has been observed in magnetoresistance.Our results indicate the existence of Dirac fermions in BaMnBi_2.     

拓扑材料中的超导

近来,人们在凝聚态体系中发现了由拓扑不变量定义的物相,其中最重要的有拓扑绝缘体、拓扑半金属和拓扑超导体等.这些物相的拓扑性质由非平凡的拓扑数描述,相应的材料被称为拓扑材料,具有诸多新奇的物理特性.其中拓扑超导体由于边界上有满足非阿贝尔统计的Majorana零能模,成为实现拓扑量子计算的主要候选材料.除了探索本征的拓扑超导体外,由于拓扑性质上的相似性,在不超导的拓扑材料中调制出超导自然成为了实现拓扑超导的重要手段.目前,人们发展了栅极调制、掺杂、高压、近邻效应调制和硬针尖点接触等多种技术,已经成功地在许多拓扑绝缘体和半金属中诱导出了超导,并对超导的拓扑性和Majorana零能模进行了研究.本文回顾了本征拓扑超导候选材料,以及拓扑绝缘体和半金属中诱导出超导的代表性工作,评述了不同实验手段的优势和缺陷、分析了其超导拓扑性的证据,并提出展望.     

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.     

Topological hinge modes in Dirac semimetals

Dirac semimetals (DSMs) are an important class of topological states of matter. Here, focusing on DSMs of band inversion type, we investigate their boundary modes from the effective model perspective. We show that in order to properly capture the boundary modes, k-cubic terms must be included in the effective model, which would drive an evolution of surface degeneracy manifold from a nodal line to a nodal point. Sizable k-cubic terms are also needed for better exposing the topological hinge modes in the spectrum. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that this feature and the topological hinge modes can be clearly exhibited in β-CuI. We extend the discussion to magnetic DSMs and show that the time-reversal symmetry breaking can gap out the surface bands and hence is beneficial for the experimental detection of hinge modes. Furthermore, we show that magnetic DSMs serve as a parent state for realizing multiple other higher-order topological phases, including higher-order Weyl-point/nodal-line semimetals and higher-order topological insulators.     

Topological states in quasicrystals

With the rapid development of topological states in crystals, the study of topological states has been extended to quasicrystals in recent years. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of topological states in quasicrystals, particularly focusing on one-dimensional (1D) and 2D systems. We first give a brief introduction to quasicrystalline structures. Then, we discuss topological phases in 1D quasicrystals where the topological nature is attributed to the synthetic dimensions associated with the quasiperiodic order of quasicrystals. We further present the generalization of various types of crystalline topological states to 2D quasicrystals, where real-space expressions of corresponding topological invariants are introduced due to the lack of translational symmetry in quasicrystals. Finally, since quasicrystals possess forbidden symmetries in crystals such as five-fold and eight-fold rotation, we provide an overview of unique quasicrystalline symmetry-protected topological states without crystalline counterpart.     

Charge transport and shot noise on the surface of a topological insulator with a magnetic modulation

In this paper, we investigate the transport features and the Fano factor of Dirac electrons on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator with a magnetic modulation. We consider a hard wall bounding condition on the edge of the topological insulator, which implies that a surface state of the topological insulator is insulating. We find that a valley of conductivity at the Dirac point is associated with a Fano factor peak, and more interestingly, this topological metal changes from insulating to metallic by controlling the effective exchange field.     

High Chern number phase in topological insulator multilayer structures: A Dirac cone model study

We employ the Dirac cone model to explore the high Chern number (C) phases that are realized in the magnetic-doped topological insulator (TI) multilayer structures by Zhao et al. [Nature 588 419 (2020)]. The Chern number is calculated by capturing the evolution of the phase boundaries with the parameters, then the Chern number phase diagrams of the TI multilayer structures are obtained. The high-C behavior is attributed to the band inversion of the renormalized Dirac cones, along with which the spin polarization at the $varGamma$ point will get increased. Moreover, another two TI multilayer structures as well as the TI superlattice structures are studied.     

凝聚体中的拓扑量子态

探寻拓扑上非平庸的凝聚体物质状态,特别是其电子结构和输运性质,是当前凝聚体物理 学领域非常重要的前沿研究方向。本文讨论的大多数主题都与电子波函数的拓扑性质有关。全文 除简短的引言外,包括拓扑量子现象、各种拓扑相、拓扑性准粒子的异常输运性质、拓扑性集 体激发和耦合激发,以及继续发展的拓扑量子态研究五个章节。这些章节着重反映拓扑量子态研 究的各个侧面,汇总起来方可以凸显凝聚体中拓扑量子态的全貌。     

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.     

Electronic transport properties of topological insulator films and low dimensional superconductors

In this review, we present a summary of some recent experiments on topological insulators （TIs） and superconducting nanowires and fihns. Electron electron interaction （EEI）, weak anti-localization （WAL） and anisotropic magneto-resistance （AMR） effect fbund in topological insulator fihns by transport measurements are reported. Then, transport properties of superconducting films, bridges and nanowires and proximity effect in non-superconducting nanowires are described. Finally, the interplay between topological insulators and superconductors （SCs） is also discussed.     

Topological Dirac surface states in ternary compounds GeBi2Te4, SnBi2Te4 and Sn0.571Bi2.286Se4

Using high-resolution angle-resolved and time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we have studied the low-energy band structures in occupied and unoccupied states of three ternary compounds GeBi₂Te₄, SnBi₂Te₄ and Sn_0.571Bi_2.286Se₄ near the Fermi level. In previously confirmed topological insulator GeBi₂Te₄ compounds, we confirmed the existence of the Dirac surface state and found that the bulk energy gap is much larger than that in the first-principles calculations. In SnBi₂Te₄ compounds, the Dirac surface state was observed, consistent with the first-principles calculations, indicating that it is a topological insulator. The experimental detected bulk gap is a little bit larger than that in calculations. In Sn_0.571Bi_2.286Se₄ compounds, our measurements suggest that this nonstoichiometric compound is a topological insulator although the stoichiometric SnBi₂Se₄ compound was proposed to be topological trivial.     

Vector valley Hall edge solitons in the photonic lattice with type-II Dirac cones

Topological edge solitons represent a significant research topic in the nonlinear topological photonics. They maintain their profiles during propagation, due to the joint action of lattice potential and nonlinearity, and at the same time are immune to defects or disorders, thanks to the topological protection. In the past few years topological edge solitons were reported in systems composed of helical waveguide arrays, in which the time-reversal symmetry is effectively broken. Very recently, topological valley Hall edge solitons have been demonstrated in straight waveguide arrays with the time-reversal symmetry preserved. However, these were scalar solitary structures. Here, for the first time, we report vector valley Hall edge solitons in straight waveguide arrays arranged according to the photonic lattice with innate type-II Dirac cones, which is different from the traditional photonic lattices with type-I Dirac cones such as honeycomb lattice. This comes about because the valley Hall edge state can possess both negative and positive dispersions, which allows the mixing of two different edge states into a vector soliton. Our results not only provide a novel avenue for manipulating topological edge states in the nonlinear regime, but also enlighten relevant research based on the lattices with type-II Dirac cones.     

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...     

Electronic properties of the Dirac and Weyl systems with first- and higher-order dispersion in non-Fermi-liquid picture

We investigate the non-Fermi-liquid behaviors of the 2D and 3D Dirac/Weyl systems with low-order and higher order dispersion. The self-energy correction, symmetry, free energy, optical conductivity, density of states, and spectral function are studied. We found that, for Dirac/Weyl systems with higher order dispersion, the non-Fermi-liquid features remain even at finite chemical potential, and they are distinct from the ones in Fermi-liquid picture and the conventional non-Fermi-liquid picture. The power law dependence of the physical observables on the energy as well as the logarithmic renormalizations due to the long-range Coulomb interaction are showed. The Landau damping of the longitudinal excitations within random-phase-approximation (RPA) for the non-Fermi-liquid case are also discussed.     

Magnetically Controlled Electronic Transport Properties of a Ferromagnetic Junction on the Surface of a Topological Insulator

We have investigated the transport properties of the Dirac fermions through a ferromagnetic barrier junction on the surface of a strong topological insulator.The current-voltage characteristic curve and the tunneling conductance are calculated theoretically.Two interesting transport features are predicted:observable negative differential conductances and linear conductances tunable from unit to nearly zero.These features can be magnetically manipulated simply by changing the spacial orientation of the magnetization.Our results may contribute to the development of high-speed switching and functional applications or electrically controlled magnetization switching.     

时间反演对称性破缺系统中的拓扑零能模

Su-Schreiffer-Heeger模型预测了在一维周期晶格的边缘处可能出现零维的拓扑零能模,其能量本征值总是出现在能隙的正中间.本文以半导体微腔阵列中光子和激子在强耦合情况下形成的准粒子为例,通过准粒子的自旋轨道耦合与Zeeman效应,研究了时间反演对称性破缺对拓扑零能模的影响.发现拓扑零能模的能量本征值可以随着自旋轨道耦合强度的变化在整个带隙内移动,自旋相反的模式移动方向相反;在二维微腔阵列中发现了沿着晶格边缘移动的拓扑零能模,提出了一维零能模的概念.由于时间反演对称性的破缺,这种一维拓扑零能模解除了在相反传输方向上的能级的简并,从而在传输过程中出现极强的绕过障碍物的能力.