No Arabic abstract
We theoretically investigate the emergence of Jackiw-Rebbi zero modes and their conductance signature in non-uniform topological insulator nano-wires. We modelled the non-uniform nano-wires as junction between two cylindrical nano-wires with different radius. In the limit of wire length being much larger than its radius, the surface state of the nanowire splits into one dimensional Dirac modes propagating along the axis of the cylinder owing to radial confinement. The sign of the mass gap in each of these Dirac mode is decided by angular momentum quantum number corresponding to the rotational motion of the electron about the axis of the cylindrical. Application of an external magnetic flux through the cylindrical nanowires enables us to tune the mass gap from positive to negative value across the junction. Due to this flux tunable band inversion, controlled by the external magnetic filed, Jackiw-Rebbi zero modes can be made to appear or disappear at the junction. We compute differential conductance of our topological insulator nanowire junction and show that a quantized conductance peak appears at zero-energy (zero-bias) in the presence of the Jackiw-Rebbi mode.
Electric and magnetic resonances of dielectric particles have recently uncovered a range of exciting applications in steering of light at the nanoscale. Breaking of particle inversion symmetry further modifies its electromagnetic response giving rise to bianisotropy known also as magneto-electric coupling. Recent studies suggest the crucial role of magneto-electric coupling in realization of photonic topological metamaterials. To further unmask this fundamental link, we design and test experimentally one-dimensional array composed of dielectric particles with overlapping electric and magnetic resonances and broken mirror symmetry. Flipping over half of the meta-atoms in the array, we observe the emergence of interface states providing photonic realization of the celebrated Jackiw-Rebbi model. We trace the origin of these states to the fact that local modification of particle bianisotropic response affects its effective coupling with the neighboring meta-atoms which provides a promising avenue to engineer topological states of light.
The momentum and spin of charge carriers in the topological insulators are constrained to be perpendicular to each other due to the strong spin-orbit coupling. We have investigated this unique spin-momentum locking property in Sb2Te3 topological insulator nanowires by injecting spin-polarized electrons through magnetic tunnel junction electrodes. Non-local voltage measurements exhibit a symmetry with respect to the magnetic field applied perpendicular to the nanowire channel, which is remarkably different from that of a non-local measurement in a channel that lacks spin-momentum locking. In stark contrast to conventional non-local spin valves, simultaneous reversal of magnetic moments of all magnetic contacts to the Sb2Te3 nanowire alters the non-local voltage. This unusual symmetry is a clear signature of the spin-momentum locking in the Sb2Te3 nanowire surface states.
In this paper we analyze a generalized Jackiw-Rebbi (J-R) model in which a massive fermion is coupled to the kink of the $lambdaphi^4$ model as a prescribed background field. We solve this massive J-R model exactly and analytically and obtain the whole spectrum of the fermion, including the bound and continuum states. The mass term of the fermion makes the potential of the decoupled second order Schrodinger-like equations asymmetric in a way that their asymptotic values at two spatial infinities are different. Therefore, we encounter the unusual problem in which two kinds of continuum states are possible for the fermion: reflecting and scattering states. We then show the energies of all the states as a function of the parameters of the kink, i.e. its value at spatial infinity ($theta_0$) and its slope at $x=0$ ($mu$). The graph of the energies as a function of $theta_0$, where the bound state energies and the two kinds of continuum states are depicted, shows peculiar features including an energy gap in the form of a triangle where no bound states exist. That is the zero mode exists only for $theta_0$ larger than a critical value $(theta_0^{textrm{c}})$. This is in sharp contrast to the usual (massless) J-R model where the zero mode and hence the fermion number $pm1/2$ for the ground state is ever present. This also makes the origin of the zero mode very clear: It is formed from the union of the two threshold bound states at $theta_0^{textrm{c}}$, which is zero in the massless J-R model.
Quantum simulators are an essential tool for understanding complex quantum materials. Platforms based on ultracold atoms in optical lattices and photonic devices led the field so far, but electronic quantum simulators are proving to be equally relevant. Simulating topological states of matter is one of the holy grails in the field. Here, we experimentally realize a higher-order electronic topological insulator (HOTI). Specifically, we create a dimerized Kagome lattice by manipulating carbon-monoxide (CO) molecules on a Cu(111) surface using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). We engineer alternating weak and strong bonds to show that a topological state emerges at the corner of the non-trivial configuration, while it is absent in the trivial one. Contrarily to conventional topological insulators (TIs), the topological state has two dimensions less than the bulk, denoting a HOTI. The corner mode is protected by a generalized chiral symmetry, which leads to a particular robustness against perturbations. Our versatile approach to quantum simulation with artificial lattices holds promises of revealing unexpected quantum phases of matter.
We numerically study crossed Andreev reflection (CAR) in a topological insulator nanowire T-junction where one lead is proximitized by a superconductor. We perform realistic simulations based on the 3D BHZ model and compare the results with those from an effective 2D surface model, whose computational cost is much lower. Both approaches show that CAR should be clearly observable in a wide parameter range, including perfect CAR in a somewhat more restricted range. Furthermore, it can be controlled by a magnetic field and is robust to disorder. Our effective 2D implementation allows to model systems of micronsize, typical of experimental setups, but computationally too heavy for 3D models.