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Register a new userNonlocal Transport in Axion Insulator State of MnBi2Te4
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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.
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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.
Recently, MnBi2Te4 has been discovered as the first intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator (AFM TI), and will become a promising material to discover exotic topological quantum phenomena. In this work, we have realized the successful synthesis of high-quality MnBi2Te4 single crystals by solid-state reactions. The as-grown MnBi2Te4 single crystal exhibits a van der Waals layered structure, which is composed of septuple Te-Bi-Te-Mn-Te-Bi-Te sequences as determined by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and high-resolution high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The magnetic order below 25 K as a consequence of A-type antiferromagnetic interaction between Mn layers in the MnBi2Te4 crystal suggests the unique interplay between antiferromagnetism and topological quantum states. The transport measurements of MnBi2Te4 single crystals further confirm its magnetic transition. Moreover, the unstable surface of MnBi2Te4, which is found to be easily oxidized in air, deserves attention for onging research on few-layer samples. This study on the first AFM TI of MnBi2Te4 will guide the future research on other potential candidates in the MBixTey family (M = Ni, V, Ti, etc.).
Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials are essential for the development of the next-generation spintronic technologies. Recently, layered van der Waals (vdW) compound MnBi2Te4 (MBT) has attracted great interest, and its 2D structure has been reported to host coexisting magnetism and topology. Here, we design several conceptual nanodevices based on MBT monolayer (MBT-ML) and reveal their spin-dependent transport properties by means of the first-principles calculations. The pn-junction diodes and sub-3-nm pin-junction field-effect transistors (FETs) show a strong rectifying effect and a spin filtering effect, with an ideality factor n close to 1 even at a reasonably high temperature. In addition, the pip- and nin-junction FETs give an interesting negative differential resistive (NDR) effect. The gate voltages can tune currents through these FETs in a large range. Furthermore, the MBT-ML has a strong response to light. Our results uncover the multifunctional nature of MBT-ML, pave the road for its applications in diverse next-generation semiconductor spin electric devices.
The axion is a hypothetical but experimentally undetected particle. Recently, the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ has been predicted to host the axion insulator, but the experimental evidence remains elusive. Specifically, the axion insulator is believed to carry half-quantized chiral currents running antiparallel on its top and bottom surfaces. However, it is challenging to measure precisely the half-quantization. Here, we propose a nonlocal surface transport device, in which the axion insulator can be distinguished from normal insulators without a precise measurement of the half-quantization. More importantly, we show that the nonlocal surface transport, as a qualitative measurement, is robust in realistic situations when the gapless side surfaces and disorder come to play. Moreover, thick electrodes can be used in the device of MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ thick films, enhancing the feasibility of the surface measurements. This proposal will be insightful for the search of the axion insulator and axion in topological matter.
The combination of topology and magnetism is attractive to produce exotic quantum matters, such as the quantum anomalous Hall state, axion insulators and the magnetic Weyl semimetals. MnBi2Te4, as an intrinsic magnetic topological insulator, provides a platform for the realization of various topological phases. Here we report the intermediate Hall steps in the magnetic hysteresis of MnBi2Te4, where four distinguishable magnetic memory states at zero magnetic field are revealed. The gate and temperature dependence of the magnetic intermediate states indicates the noncollinear spin structure in MnBi2Te4, which can be attributed to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction as the coexistence of strong spin-orbit coupling and local inversion symmetry breaking on the surface. Moreover, these multiple magnetic memory states can be programmatically switched among each other through applying designed pulses of magnetic field. Our results provide new insights of the influence of bulk topology on the magnetic states, and the multiple memory states should be promising for spintronic devices.
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