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We report a continuous phase transition between quantum-anomalous-Hall and trivial-insulator phases in a magnetic topological insulator upon magnetization rotation. The Hall conductivity transits from one plateau of quantized Hall conductivity $e^2/h$ to the other plateau of zero Hall conductivity. The transition curves taken at various temperatures cross almost at a single point, exemplifying the critical behavior of the transition. The slope of the transition curves follows a power-law temperature dependence with a critical exponent of $-0.61$. This suggests a common underlying origin in the plateau transitions between the QAH and quantum Hall systems, which is a percolation of one-dimensional chiral edge channels.
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Recently, the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 has attracted enormous research interest due to the great success in realizing exotic topological quantum states, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), axion insulator state, high-Chern-number and high-temperature Chern insulator states. One key issue in this field is to effectively manipulate these states and control topological phase transitions. Here, by systematic angle-dependent transport measurements, we reveal a magnetization-tuned topological quantum phase transition from Chern insulator to magnetic insulator with gapped Dirac surface states in MnBi2Te4 devices. Specifically, as the magnetic field is tilted away from the out-of-plane direction by around 40-60 degrees, the Hall resistance deviates from the quantization value and a colossal, anisotropic magnetoresistance is detected. The theoretical analyses based on modified Landauer-Buttiker formalism show that the field-tilt-driven switching from ferromagnetic state to canted antiferromagnetic state induces a topological quantum phase transition from Chern insulator to magnetic insulator with gapped Dirac surface states in MnBi2Te4 devices. Our work provides an efficient means for modulating topological quantum states and topological quantum phase transitions.
The quantized version of anomalous Hall effect realized in magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) has great potential for the development of topological quantum physics and low-power electronic/spintronic applications. To enable dissipationless chiral edge conduction at zero magnetic field, effective exchange field arisen from the aligned magnetic dopants needs to be large enough to yield specific spin sub-band configurations. Here we report the thickness-tailored quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in Cr-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 thin films by tuning the system across the two-dimensional (2D) limit. In addition to the Chern number-related metal-to-insulator QAH phase transition, we also demonstrate that the induced hybridization gap plays an indispensable role in determining the ground magnetic state of the MTIs, namely the spontaneous magnetization owning to considerable Van Vleck spin susceptibility guarantees the zero-field QAH state with unitary scaling law in thick samples, while the quantization of the Hall conductance can only be achieved with the assistance of external magnetic fields in ultra-thin films. The modulation of topology and magnetism through structural engineering may provide a useful guidance for the pursuit of QAH-based new phase diagrams and functionalities.
The quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state is a two-dimensional bulk insulator with a non-zero Chern number in absence of external magnetic fields. Protected gapless chiral edge states enable dissipationless current transport in electronic devices. Doping topological insulators with random magnetic impurities could realize the QAH state, but magnetic order is difficult to establish experimentally in the bulk insulating limit. Here we predict that the single quintuple layer of GdBiTe3 film could be a stoichiometric QAH insulator based on ab-initio calculations, which explicitly demonstrate ferromagnetic order and chiral edge states inside the bulk gap. We further investigate the topological quantum phase transition by tuning the lattice constant and interactions. A simple low-energy effective model is presented to capture the salient physical feature of this topological material.
The recent discovery of antiferromagnetic (AFM) topological insulator (TI) MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ has triggered great research efforts on exploring novel magnetic topological physics. Based on first-principles calculations, we find that the manipulation of magnetic orientation and order not only significantly affects material symmetries and orbital hybridizations, but also results in variant new magnetic topological phases in MnBi$_2$Te$_4$. We thus predict a series of unusual topological quantum phase transitions that are magnetically controllable in the material, including phase transitions from AFM TI to AFM mirror topological crystalline insulator, from type-II to type-I topological Weyl semimetal, and from axion insulator to Chern insulator. The findings open new opportunities for future research and applications of magnetic topological materials.
The quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect is a quintessential consequence of non-zero Berry curvature in momentum-space. The QAH insulator harbors dissipation-free chiral edge states in the absence of an external magnetic field. On the other hand, the topological Hall (TH) effect, a transport hallmark of the chiral spin textures, is a consequence of real-space Berry curvature. While both the QAH and TH effects have been reported separately, their coexistence, a manifestation of entangled chiral edge states and chiral spin textures, has not been reported. Here, by inserting a TI layer between two magnetic TI layers to form a sandwich heterostructure, we realized a concurrence of the TH effect and the QAH effect through electric field gating. The TH effect is probed by bulk carriers, while the QAH effect is characterized by chiral edge states. The appearance of TH effect in the QAH insulating regime is the consequence of chiral magnetic domain walls that result from the gate-induced Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and occur during the magnetization reversal process in the magnetic TI sandwich samples. The coexistence of chiral edge states and chiral spin textures potentially provides a unique platform for proof-of-concept dissipationless spin-textured spintronic applications.
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