Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userSpin and Charge Structure of the Surface States in Topological Insulators
172
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We investigate the spin and charge densities of surface states of the three-dimensional topological insulator $Bi_2Se_3$, starting from the continuum description of the material [Zhang {em et al.}, Nat. Phys. 5, 438 (2009)]. The spin structure on surfaces other than the 111 surface has additional complexity because of a misalignment of the contributions coming from the two sublattices of the crystal. For these surfaces we expect new features to be seen in the spin-resolved ARPES experiments, caused by a non-helical spin-polarization of electrons at the individual sublattices as well as by the interference of the electron waves emitted coherently from two sublattices. We also show that the position of the Dirac crossing in spectrum of surface states depends on the orientation of the interface. This leads to contact potentials and surface charge redistribution at edges between different facets of the crystal.
rate research
Read More
The edge states of a two-dimensional quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator form a one-dimensional helical metal which is responsible for the transport property of the QSH insulator. Conceptually, such a one-dimensional helical metal can be attached to any scattering region as the usual metallic leads. We study the analytical property of the scattering matrix for such a conceptual multiterminal scattering problem in the presence of time reversal invariance. As a result, several theorems on the connectivity property of helical edge states in two-dimensional QSH systems as well as surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators are obtained. Without addressing real model details, these theorems, which are phenomenologically obtained, emphasize the general connectivity property of topological edge/surface states from the mere time reversal symmetry restriction.
We have investigated the nature of surface states in the Bi2Te3 family of three-dimensional topological insulators using first-principles calculations as well as model Hamiltonians. When the surface Dirac cone is warped due to Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling in rhombohedral structures, the spin acquires a finite out-of-plane component. We predict a novel in-plane spin-texture of the warped surface Dirac cone with spins not perpendicular to the electron momentum. Our k.p model calculation reveals that this novel in-plane spin-texture requires high order Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling terms.
We study the selective excitation at infrared and THz frequencies of optical and acoustic plasmonic modes supported by thin topological insulators. These modes are characterized by effective net charge or net spin density, respectively, and we study their excitation by combining many-body and electromagnetic calculations. We first show that non-locality can significantly modify the plasmonic response: it changes the energy of propagating plasmons up to tens of percent. We then discuss how, by changing the distance between a dipolar source and a semi-infinite 10 nm thin film, it is possible to control the excitation of acoustic and optical propagating plasmons, which can propagate over a distance of several plasmonic wavelengths. Furthermore, we consider 10 nm thin TI nanodisks and study the excitation of acoustic and optical localized plasmon modes by a point dipole source and plane wave illumination, respectively. The resonant plasmonic modes appear at frequencies that strongly depends on the size of the disk, and that can be potentially tuned by applying electrostatic gating to modify the Fermi Energy of the conductive 2-dimensional layer that forms at the interfaces of the TI. We observe a spectral shift from ~29 $mu$m to ~34 $mu$m by changing the Fermi Energy from 250meV to 350meV. Last, the electromagnetic energy of these plasmonics modes can be confined to very small regions, of effective volume ~(120 nm)^3 for the smaller disk considered, much less than the free-space wavelength cubed $lambda$^3 ~(35000 nm)^3. The strong confinement is desirable for achieving very efficient coupling with nearby systems. Our detailed study thus shows that thin topological insulators are a promising system to control both the spin and charge oscillations associated with the plasmonic resonances, with possible applications to fast, compact and electrically-controlled spintronics devices.
The metallic surface state of a topological insulator (TI) is not only topologically protected, but exhibits a remarkable property of inducing an effective vector potential on curved surfaces. For an electron in the surface state of a spherical or a cylindrical TI (TI nanoparticle or nanowire) a pseudo-magnetic monopole or a fictitious solenoid is effectively induced, encoding the geometry of the system. Here, by taking an example of a hyperbolic surface we demonstrate that as a consequence of this property stemming from its active spin degree of freedom, the surface state is by itself topologically protected.
We study the properties of a family of anti-pervoskite materials, which are topological crystalline insulators with an insulating bulk but a conducting surface. Using ab-initio DFT calculations, we investigate the bulk and surface topology and show that these materials exhibit type-I as well as type-II Dirac surface states protected by reflection symmetry. While type-I Dirac states give rise to closed circular Fermi surfaces, type-II Dirac surface states are characterized by open electron and hole pockets that touch each other. We find that the type-II Dirac states exhibit characteristic van-Hove singularities in their dispersion, which can serve as an experimental fingerprint. In addition, we study the response of the surface states to magnetic fields.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
