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.     

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.     

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.     

Electronic properties of SnTe-class topological crystalline insulator materials

The rise of topological insulators in recent years has broken new ground both in the conceptual cognition of condensed matter physics and the promising revolution of the electronic devices.It also stimulates the explorations of more topological states of matter.Topological crystalline insulator is a new topological phase,which combines the electronic topology and crystal symmetry together.In this article,we review the recent progress in the studies of SnTe-class topological crystalline insulator materials.Starting from the topological identifications in the aspects of the bulk topology,surface states calculations,and experimental observations,we present the electronic properties of topological crystalline insulators under various perturbations,including native defect,chemical doping,strain,and thickness-dependent confinement effects,and then discuss their unique quantum transport properties,such as valley-selective filtering and helicity-resolved functionalities for Dirac fermions.The rich properties and high tunability make SnTe-class materials promising candidates for novel quantum devices.     

Transport properties of doped Bi_2Se_3 and Bi_2Te_3 topological insulators and heterostructures

In this review article, the recent experimental and theoretical research progress in Bi_2Se_3-and Bi_2Te_3-based topological insulators is presented, with a focus on the transport properties and modulation of the transport properties by doping with nonmagnetic and magnetic elements. The electrical transport properties are discussed for a few different types of topological insulator heterostructures, such as heterostructures formed by Bi_2Se_3-and Bi_2Te_3-based binary/ternary/quaternary compounds and superconductors, nonmagnetic and magnetic metals, or semiconductors.     

Experimental Realization of an Intrinsic Magnetic Topological Insulator

An intrinsic magnetic topological insulator(TI) is a stoichiometric magnetic compound possessing both inherent magnetic order and topological electronic states. Such a material can provide a shortcut to various novel topological quantum effects but remained elusive experimentally for a long time. Here we report the experimental realization of thin films of an intrinsic magnetic TI, MnBi_2Te_4, by alternate growth of a Bi_2Te_3 quintuple layer and a MnTe bilayer with molecular beam epitaxy. The material shows the archetypical Dirac surface states in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and is demonstrated to be an antiferromagnetic topological insulator with ferromagnetic surfaces by magnetic and transport measurements as well as first-principles calculations. The unique magnetic and topological electronic structures and their interplays enable the material to embody rich quantum phases such as quantum anomalous Hall insulators and axion insulators at higher temperature and in a well-controlled way.     

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.     

Magnetic proximity effect in the topological insulator BiSbTeSe2

Magnetic proximity effects can lead to novel phenomena in the transport properties of topological insulators. In this study, we demonstrate a characteristic fourfold symmetry in the angular dependence of magnetoresistance in the topological insulator BiSbTeSe₂ exfoliated onto magnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet substrates. The observed symmetry is seen to arise when the external magnetic field is in‐plane to the current direction and gets enhanced at large field magnitudes. Increasing the temperature and current density diminishes the fourfold symmetry. The symmetry seems to be a signature of the proximity effect from the underlying magnetic substrate on BiSbTeSe₂. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Axion response in gapless systems

The strong topological insulator in 3D is expected to realize a quantized magnetoelectric response, the so-called axion response. However, many of the materials predicted to be topological insulators have turned out to be metallic, with bulk Fermi surfaces. Following the result of Bergman and Refael [Phys. Rev. B 82, 195417 (2010)] that the surface states of the topological insulator persist even when the band structure gap is closed, we explore the fate of the magnetoelectric response in such systems. We find that a nonquantized magnetoelectric coupling remains once a bulk Fermi surface opens. More generally, we find higher-dimensional analogs of the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect for all Chern forms-quantized transport coefficients in the gapped case become nonquantized when the gap is closed. In particular, the nonquantized magnetoelectric response in 3D descends from the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect analog in 4D.     

Tunable topological quantum states in three- and two-dimensional materials

We review our theoretical advances in tunable topological quantum states in three- and twodimensional materials with strong spin–orbital couplings. In three-dimensional systems, we propose a new tunable topological insulator, bismuth-based skutterudites in which topological insulating states can be induced by external strains. The orbitals involved in the topological band-inversion process are the d- and p-orbitals, unlike typical topological insulators such as Bi₂Se₃and BiTeI, where only the p-orbitals are involved in the band-inversion process. Owing to the presence of large d-electronic states, the electronic interaction in our proposed topological insulator is much stronger than that in other conventional topological insulators. In two-dimensional systems, we investigated 3d-transition-metal-doped silicene. Using both an analytical model and first-principles Wannier interpolation, we demonstrate that silicene decorated with certain 3d transition metals such as vanadium can sustain a stable quantum anomalous Hall effect. We also predict that the quantum valley Hall effect and electrically tunable topological states could be realized in certain transition-metal-doped silicenes where the energy band inversion occurs. These findings provide realistic materials in which topological states could be arbitrarily controlled.     

Crossover between weak antilocalization and weak localization in a magnetically doped topological insulator

We report transport studies on magnetically doped Bi(2)Se(3) topological insulator ultrathin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The magnetotransport behavior exhibits a systematic crossover between weak antilocalization and weak localization with the change of magnetic impurity concentration, temperature, and magnetic field. We show that the localization property is closely related to the magnetization of the sample, and the complex crossover is due to the transformation of Bi(2)Se(3) from a topological insulator to a topologically trivial dilute magnetic semiconductor driven by magnetic impurities. This work demonstrates an effective way to manipulate the quantum transport properties of the topological insulators by breaking time-reversal symmetry.     

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.     

在预刻蚀的衬底上通过分子束外延直接生长出拓扑绝缘体薄膜的微器件

在利用光刻将拓扑绝缘体外延薄膜加工成微米尺寸结构的过程中,所用的各种化学物质会导致薄膜质量的下降.在实验中,通过在钛酸锶衬底上预先光刻出Hall bar形状的凸平台并以此为模板进行拓扑绝缘体(Bi x Sb1-x)2Te3薄膜的分子束外延生长,直接获得了薄膜的Hall bar微器件,从而避免了光刻过程对材料质量的影响.原子力显微镜和输运测量结果均显示该微器件保持了(Bi x Sb1-x)2Te3外延薄膜原有的性质.这种新的微器件制备方法有助于在拓扑绝缘体中实现各种新奇的量子效应,并可推广于其他外延生长的低维系统.     

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.     

Quantum transport and two-parameter scaling at the surface of a weak topological insulator

Weak topological insulators have an even number of Dirac cones in their surface spectrum and are thought to be unstable to disorder, which leads to an insulating surface. Here we argue that the presence of disorder alone will not localize the surface states; rather, the presence of a time-reversal symmetric mass term is required for localization. Through numerical simulations, we show that in the absence of the mass term the surface always flow to a stable metallic phase and the conductivity obeys a one-parameter scaling relation, just as in the case of a strong topological insulator surface. With the inclusion of the mass, the transport properties of the surface of a weak topological insulator follow a two-parameter scaling form.     

Topological insulator as an optical modulator for pulsed solid‐state lasers

Topological insulators are states of quantum matter that have narrow topological nontrivial energy gaps and a large third‐order nonlinear optical response. The optical absorption of topological insulators can become saturated under strong excitation. In this work, with Bi₂Se₃ as an example, it was demonstrated that a topological insulator can modulate the operation of a bulk solid‐state laser by taking advantage of its saturable absorption. The result suggests that topological insulators are potentially attractive as broadband pulsed modulators for the generation of short and ultrashort pulses in bulk solid‐state lasers, in addition to other promising applications in physics and computing.     

Non-Hermitian anomalous skin effect

A non-Hermitian topological insulator is fundamentally different from conventional topological insulators. The non-Hermitian skin effect arises in a nonreciprocal tight binding lattice with open edges. In this case, not only topological states but also bulk states are localized around the edges of the nonreciprocal system. We discuss that controllable switching from topological edge states into topological extended states in a chiral symmetric non-Hermitian system is possible. We show that the skin depth decreases with non-reciprocity for bulk states but increases with it for topological zero energy states.     

Topological magnetic insulators with corundum structure

Topological insulators are new states of quantum matter in which surface states residing in the bulk insulating gap are protected by time-reversal symmetry. When a proper kind of antiferromagnetic long-range order is established in a topological insulator, the system supports axionic excitations. In this Letter, we study theoretically the electronic states in a transition metal oxide of corundum structure, in which both spin-orbit interaction and electron-electron interaction play crucial roles. A tight-binding model analysis predicts that materials with this structure can be strong topological insulators. Because of the electron correlation, an antiferromagnetic order may develop, giving rise to a topological magnetic insulator phase with axionic excitations.     

Fragile Mott insulators

We prove that there exists a class of crystalline insulators, which we call "fragile Mott insulators," which are not adiabatically connected to any sort of band insulator provided time-reversal and certain point-group symmetries are respected, but which are otherwise unspectacular in that they exhibit no topological order nor any form of fractionalized quasiparticles. Different fragile Mott insulators are characterized by different nontrivial one-dimensional representations of the crystal point group. We illustrate this new type of insulators with two examples: the d Mott insulator discovered in the checkerboard Hubbard model at half-filling and the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki insulator on the square lattice.