Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userAxion Insulator State in a Ferromagnet/Topological Insulator/Antiferromagnet Heterostructure
129
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
We propose to use ferromagnetic insulator MnBi2Se4/Bi2Se3/antiferromagnetic insulator Mn2Bi2Se5 heterostructures for the realization of the axion insulator state. Importantly, the axion insulator state in such heterostructures only depends on the magnetization of the ferromagnetic insulator and hence can be observed in a wide range of external magnetic field. Using density functional calculations and model Hamiltonian simulations, we find that the top and bottom surfaces have opposite half-quantum Hall conductance, with a sizable global spin gap of 5.1 meV opened for the topological surface states of Bi2Se3. Our work provides a new strategy for the search of axion insulators by using van der Waals antiferromagnetic insulators along with three-dimensional topological insulators.
rate research
Read More
The spin-orbit torque induced by a topological insulator (TI) is theoretically examined for spin wave generation in a neighboring antiferromagnetic thin film. The investigation is based on the micromagnetic simulation of N{e}el vector dynamics and the analysis of transport properties in the TI. The results clearly illustrate that propagating spin waves can be achieved in the antiferromagnetic thin-film strip through localized excitation, traveling over a long distance. The oscillation amplitude gradually decays due to the non-zero damping as the N{e}el vector precesses around the magnetic easy axis with a fixed frequency. The frequency is also found to be tunable via the strength of the driving electrical current density. While both the bulk and the surface states of the TI contribute to induce the effective torque, the calculation indicates that the surface current plays a dominant role over the bulk counterpart except in the heavily degenerate cases. Compared to the more commonly applied heavy metals, the use of a TI can substantially reduce the threshold current density to overcome the magnetic anisotropy, making it an efficient choice for spin wave generation. The N{e}el vector dynamics in the nano-oscillator geometry are examined as well.
Combining magnetism and nontrivial band topology gives rise to quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators and exotic quantum phases such as the QAH effect where current flows without dissipation along quantized edge states. Inducing magnetic order in topological insulators via proximity to a magnetic material offers a promising pathway towards achieving QAH effect at high temperature for lossless transport applications. One promising architecture involves a sandwich structure comprising two single layers of MnBi2Te4 (a 2D ferromagnetic insulator) with ultra-thin Bi2Te3 in the middle, and is predicted to yield a robust QAH insulator phase with a bandgap well above thermal energy at room temperature (25 meV). Here we demonstrate the growth of a 1SL MnBi2Te4 / 4QL Bi2Te3 /1SL MnBi2Te4 heterostructure via molecular beam epitaxy, and probe the electronic structure using angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. We observe strong hexagonally warped massive Dirac Fermions and a bandgap of 75 meV. The magnetic origin of the gap is confirmed by the observation of broken time reversal symmetry and the exchange-Rashba effect, in excellent agreement with density functional theory calculations. These findings provide insights into magnetic proximity effects in topological insulators, that will move lossless transport in topological insulators towards higher temperature.
The intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 provides a versatile platform for exploring exotic topological phenomena. In this work, we report nonlocal transport studies of exfoliated MnBi2Te4 flakes in the axion insulator state. We observe pronounced nonlocal transport signals in six septuple-layer thick MnBi2Te4 devices within the axion insulator regime at low magnetic fields. As a magnetic field drives the axion insulator into the Chern insulator, the nonlocal resistance almost vanishes due to the dissipationless nature of the chiral edge state. Our nonlocal transport measurements provide strong evidence that the charge transport in the axion insulator state is carried by the half-quantized helical edge state that is proposed to appear at the hinges of the top and bottom surfaces.
A topological insulator (TI) interfaced with a magnetic insulator (MI) may host an anomalous Hall effect (AHE), a quantum AHE, and a topological Hall effect (THE). Recent studies, however, suggest that coexisting magnetic phases in TI/MI heterostructures may result in an AHE-associated response that resembles a THE but in fact is not. This article reports a genuine THE in a TI/MI structure that has only one magnetic phase. The structure shows a THE in the temperature range of T=2-3 K and an AHE at T=80-300 K. Over T=3-80 K, the two effects coexist but show opposite temperature dependencies. Control measurements, calculations, and simulations together suggest that the observed THE originates from skyrmions, rather than the coexistence of two AHE responses. The skyrmions are formed due to an interfacial DMI interaction. The DMI strength estimated is substantially higher than that in heavy metal-based systems.
Realizing axion insulator state with a uniform magnetization considerably facilitates experimental explorations of the intriguing topological magnetoelectric effect, a hallmark of three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TIs). Through density functional theory calculations and four-band model studies, we find that magnetic ions Cr3+ in monolayer CrI3 and Mn2+ in septuple-layer MnBi2Se4 have opposite exchange couplings to the topological surface states of 3D TI Bi2Se3. As an exciting result of such opposite exchange couplings, axion insulator state is realized by a uniform magnetization in CrI3/Bi2Se3/MnBi2Se4 heterostructure. Our work opens up opportunities for exploring topological magnetoelectric effect realized by the uniform magnetization induced axion insulator state in heterostructures of 3D TIs and two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnetic insulators.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
