New quantum matters: Build up versus high pressure tuning

In this article we briefly review new quantum functional compounds primarily based on our recent works.We will highlight the effects of pressures on both materials synthesis and quantum tuning.The contents include(I)"111"-type iron based superconducting system,(II)pressure induced superconductivity in topological insulators and(III)the new diluted magnetic semiconductors with decoupled spin charge doping.     

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.     

Topological structure of Gauss-Bonnet-Chern theorem and -branes

By making use of the φ-mapping topological current theory, this paper shows that the Gauss-Bonnet-Chern density (the Euler-Poincaré characteristic χ(M) density) can be expressed in terms of a smooth vector field φ and take the form of δ(φ), which means that only the zeros of φ contribute to χ(M). This is the elementary fact of the Hopf theorem. Furthermore, it presents that a new topological tensor current of -branes can be derived from the Gauss-Bonnet-Chern density. Using this topological current, it obtains the generalized Nambu action for multi -branes.     

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.     

Quench dynamics in 1D model with 3rd-nearest-neighbor hoppings

The non-equilibrium dynamics of a one-dimensional(1 D)topological system with 3 rd-nearest-neighbor hopping has been investigated by analytical and numerical methods.An analytical form of topological defect density under the periodic boundary conditions(PBC)is obtained by using the Landau-Zener formula(LZF),which is consistent with the scaling of defect production provided by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism(KZM).Under the open boundary conditions(OBC),quench dynamics becomes more complicated due to edge states.The behaviors of the system quenching across different phases show that defect production no longer satisfies the KZM paradigm since complicated couplings exist under OBC.Some new dynamical features are revealed.     

Ferromagnetism on a paramagnetic host background in cobalt-doped Bi_2Se_3 topological insulator

Cobalt-doped Bi2Se3topological insulators have been grown though melt-grown reaction. The Bi2Se3matrix is diamagnetic and doped sample is a superposition of ferromagnetism(FM) and paramagnetism(PM) behavior at low temperature. The values of MSmol, Hc, and Mr increase as the Co concentration increases. Two possible explanations have been proposed for the origin of ferromagnetism in Co-doped Bi2Se3. One is the magnetic ordering from nanoclusters of Co–Se compound in the crystals, and the other is Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida(RKKY) interaction between magnetic impurities.     

From magnetically doped topological insulator to the quantum anomalous Hall effect

Quantum Hall effect （QHE）, as a class of quantum phenomena that occur in macroscopic scale, is one of the most important topics in condensed matter physics. It has long been expected that QHE may occur without Landau levels so that neither external magnetic field nor high sample mobility is required for its study and application, Such a QHE free of Landau levels, can appear in topological insulators （TIs） with ferromagnetism as the quantized version of the anomalous Hall effect, i.e., quantum anomalous Hall （QAH） effect. Here we review our recent work on experimental realization of the QAH effect in magnetically doped TIs. With molecular beam epitaxy, we prepare thin films of Cr-doped （Bi,Sb）2Te3 TIs with well- controlled chemical potential and long-range ferromagnetic order that can survive the insulating phase. In such thin films, we eventually observed the quantization of the Hall resistance at h/e2 at zero field, accompanied by a considerable drop in the longitudinal resistance. Under a strong magnetic field, the longitudinal resistance vanishes, whereas the Hall resistance remains at the quantized value. The realization of the QAH effect provides a foundation for many other novel quantum phenomena predicted in TIs, and opens a route to practical applications of quantum Hall physics in low-power-consumption electronics.     

Quantum spin Hall effect in a square-lattice model under a uniform magnetic field

We study a toy square-lattice model under a uniform magnetic field. Using the Landauer-Bttiker formula, we calculate the transport properties of the system on a two-terminal, a four-terminal and a six-terminal device. We find that the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect appears in energy ranges where the spin-up and spin-down subsystems have different filling factors. We also study the robustness of the resulting QSH effect and find that it is robust when the Fermi levels of both spin subsystems are far away from the energy plateaus but is fragile when the Fermi level of any spin subsystem is near the energy plateaus. These results provide an example of the QSH effect with a physical origin other than time-reversal (TR) preserving spin-orbit coupling (SOC).     

Transport properties of topological insulators films and nanowires

The last several years have witnessed the rapid developments in the study and understanding of topological insulators. In this review, after a brief summary of the history of topological insulators, we focus on the recent progress made in transport experiments on topological insulator films and nanowires. Some quantum phenomena, including the weak antilocalization, the Aharonov-Bobm effect, and the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, observed in these nanostructures are described. In addition, the electronic transport evidence of the superconducting proximity effect as well as an anomalous resistance enhancement in topological insulator/superconductor hybrid structures is included.     

Elastic scattering of surface states on three-dimensional topological insulators

Topological insulators as a new type of quantum matter materials are characterized by a full insulating gap in the bulk and gapless edge/surface states protected by the time-reversal symmetry. We propose that the interference patterns caused by the elastic scattering of defects or impurities are dominated by the surface states at the extremal points on the constant energy contour. Within such a formalism, we summarize our recent theoretical investigations on the elastic scattering of topological surface states by various imperfections, including non-magnetic impurities, magnetic impurities, step edges, and various other defects, in comparison with the recent related experiments in typical topological materials such as BiSb alloys, Bi2Te3, and Bi2Se3 crystals.     

Z2拓扑不变量与拓扑绝缘体

文章回顾了几种Z2拓扑数的计算方法,并详细介绍了一种用非阿贝尔贝里联络表示绝缘体Z2不变量的计算方法.这种方法可以确定出一般能带绝缘体的拓扑性质,而不需要限定波函数的规范.利用这种新方法,文章作者计算了二维石墨烯(graphene)系统的Z2拓扑数,得到了和以前研究相一致的结论.     

Z_2拓扑不变量与拓扑绝缘体

文章回顾了几种Z2拓扑数的计算方法,并详细介绍了一种用非阿贝尔贝里联络表示绝缘体Z2不变量的计算方法.这种方法可以确定出一般能带绝缘体的拓扑性质,而不需要限定波函数的规范.利用这种新方法,文章作者计算了二维石墨烯(graphene)系统的Z2拓扑数,得到了和以前研究相一致的结论.     

一维化学势调制的p波超导体中的拓扑量子相变

本文研究了一维公度势和非公度势调制下的p波超导量子线系统的拓扑相变.在公度势调制下,通过计算Z2拓扑不变量确定系统的相图,指出系统的拓扑相变强烈地依赖于调制参数α和相移δ.在非公度势调制下,以α=(√5-1)/2,δ=0为例,计算系统的低能激发谱、Z2拓扑不变量以及逆参与率等,发现p波配对强度△∈(0,0.33)时,系统存在拓扑非平庸超导相,拓扑平庸超导相和拓扑平庸局域相的转变.而当p波配对强度△>0.33时,系统存在拓扑非平庸超导相和拓扑平庸局域相的转变.     

Classification of Topological Insulators with Time-Reversal and Inversion Symmetry

In this paper, we find that topological insulators with time-reversal symmetryand inversion symmetry featuring two-dimensional quantum spin Hall (QSH) state can be divided into 16 classes, which are characterized by four Z₂topological variables ζ_k=0,1 at four points with high symmetry in the Brillouin zone. We obtain the corresponding edge states for each one of these sixteen classes of QSHs. In addition, it is predicted that massless fermionic excitations appear at the quantum phase transition between different QSH states. In the end, we also briefly discuss the three-dimensional case.     

Quasi-one Dimensional Topological Insulator: Möbius Molecular Devices in Peierls Transition

We show that, assisted by the Peierls transition of lattice, as a quasi-one dimensional (Q1D) tight binding system, a Möbius molecular device can behave as a simple topological insulator. With the Peierls phase transition to form a domain wall, the solitonary zero modes exist as the ground state of this electron-phonon hybrid system, which is protected by the Z₂ topology of the Möbius strip. The robustness of the ground state prevents these degenerate zero modes from their energy spectrum splitting caused by any perturbation.     

Topological hierarchy matters — topological matters with superlattices of defects

Topological insulators/superconductors are new states of quantum matter with metallic edge/surface states.In this paper,we review the defects effect in these topological states and study new types of topological matters — topological hierarchy matters.We find that both topological defects(quantized vortices) and non topological defects(vacancies) can induce topological mid-gap states in the topological hierarchy matters after considering the superlattice of defects.These topological mid-gap states have nontrivial topological properties,including the nonzero Chern number and the gapless edge states.Effective tight-binding models are obtained to describe the topological mid-gap states in the topological hierarchy matters.     

Topological and dynamical phase transitions in the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with quasiperiodic and long-range hoppings

Disorders and long-range hoppings can induce exotic phenomena in condensed matter and artificial systems. We study the topological and dynamical properties of the quasiperiodic Su–Schrier–Heeger model with long-range hoppings. It is found that the interplay of quasiperiodic disorder and long-range hopping can induce topological Anderson insulator phases with non-zero winding numbers $\omega =1,2,$ and the phase boundaries can be consistently revealed by the divergence of zero-energy mode localization length. We also investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics by ramping the long-range hopping along two different paths. The critical exponents extracted from the dynamical behavior agree with the Kibble–Zurek mechanic prediction for the path with $W=0.90.$ In particular, the dynamical exponent of the path crossing the multicritical point is numerical obtained as $1/6{\rm{\sim }}0.167,$ which agrees with the unconventional finding in the previously studied XY spin model. Besides, we discuss the anomalous and non-universal scaling of the defect density dynamics of topological edge states in this disordered system under open boundary condictions.     

α Decays in Superstrong Static Electric Fields

Superstrong static electric fields could deform Coulomb barriers between α clusters and daughter nuclei, and bring up the possibility of speeding up α decays. We adopt a simplified model for the spherical α emitter ²¹²Po and study its responses to superstrong static electric fields. We find that superstrong electric fields with field strengths|E|~ 0:1 MV/fm could turn the angular distribution of α emissions from isotropic to strongly anisotropic, and speed up α decays by more than one order of magnitude. We also study the influences of superstrong electric fields along the Poisotope chains, and discuss the implications of our studies on α decays in superstrong monochromatic laser fields. The study here might be helpful for future theoretical studies of α decay in realistic superstrong laser fields.     

Structural and Optical Properties of Point Defects in α-SiO2 Cluster

First-principles methods based on the density functional theory (DFT) are used in order to calculate the structural and optical properties of α-SiO₂ cluster with the non-bridging oxygen hole centers (NBOHC) and NBOHC-E' defects. We clarify the stable structure of the NBOHC-E' point defects for the first time using the functional B3LYP, which is also tested to investigate the influence of electronic properties. The calculation is carried out for cluster configurations extracted from supercell. The results of optical absorption peak for Si₂O₇H₆ and Si₅O₁₆H₁₂ with NBOHC-E' defects are found at 2.66 eV, which is higher than the often observed OA peak at 2.0 eV for the NBOHC defect in α-SiO₂. The overall absorption spectra are in qualitative agreement with the experiment.     

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。