No Arabic abstract
We show that edges of Quantum Spin Hall topological insulators represent a natural platform for realization of exotic supersolid phase. On one hand, fermionic edge modes are helical due to the nontrivial topology of the bulk. On the other hand, a disorder at the edge or magnetic adatoms may produce a dense array of localized spins interacting with the helical electrons. The spin subsystem is magnetically frustrated since the indirect exchange favors formation of helical spin order and the direct one favors (anti)ferromagnetic ordering of the spins. At a moderately strong direct exchange, the competition between these spin interactions results in the spontaneous breaking of parity and in the Ising type order of the $z$-components at zero temperature. If the total spin is conserved the spin order does not pin a collective massless helical mode which supports the ideal transport. In this case, the phase transition converts the helical spin order to the order of a chiral lattice supersolid. This represents a radically new possibility for experimental studies of the elusive supersolidity.
Time-reversal invariant two-dimensional topological insulators, often dubbed Quantum Spin Hall systems, possess helical edge modes whose ballistic transport is protected by physical symmetries. We argue that, though the time-reversal symmetry (TRS) of the bulk is needed for the existence of helicity, protection of the helical transport is actually provided by the spin conservation on the edges. This general statement is illustrated by specific examples. One example demonstrates the ballistic conductance in the setup where the TRS on the edge is broken. It shows that attributing the symmetry protection exclusively to the TRS is not entirely correct. Another example reveals weakness of the protection in the case where helical transport is governed by a space-fluctuating spin-orbit interaction. Our results demonstrate the fundamental importance of the spin conservation analysis for the identification of mechanisms which may (or may not) lead to suppression of the ballistic helical transport.
We study proximity coupling between a superconductor and counter-propagating gapless modes arising on the edges of Abelian fractional quantum Hall liquids with filling fraction $ u=1/m$ (with $m$ an odd integer). This setup can be utilized to create non-Abelian parafermion zero-modes if the coupling to the superconductor opens an energy gap in the counter-propagating modes. However, when the coupling to the superconductor is weak an energy gap is opened only in the presence of sufficiently strong attractive interactions between the edge modes, which do not commonly occur in solid state experimental realizations. We therefore investigate the possibility of obtaining a gapped phase by increasing the strength of the proximity coupling to the superconductor. To this end, we use an effective wire construction model for the quantum Hall liquid and employ renormalization group methods to obtain the phase diagram of the system. Surprisingly, at strong proximity coupling we find a gapped phase which is stabilized for sufficiently strong repulsive interactions in the bulk of the quantum Hall fluids. We furthermore identify a duality transformation that maps between the weak coupling and strong coupling regimes, and use it to show that the gapped phases in both regimes are continuously connected through an intermediate proximity coupling regime.
Interferometry provides direct evidence for anyon statistics. In the fractional quantum Hall effect, interferometers are susceptible to dephasing by neutral modes. The latter support chargeless quasiparticles (neutralons) which propagate upstream along the edge and obey fractional statistics. Here we show that on a suitably engineered bilayer fractional quantum Hall edge, which is an experimentally available platform, the neutral modes can be gapped while leaving the desired charge modes gapless. The gapping mechanism is akin to a four-particle pairing superconductivity. Our considered bilayer structure can be shaped as an anyonic interferometer. We also discuss experimental charge transport signatures of the neutral mode gap.
A two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator (TI) exhibits the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, in which topologically protected spin-polarized conducting channels exist at the sample edges. Experimental signatures of the QSH effect have recently been reported for the first time in an atomically thin material, monolayer WTe2. Electrical transport measurements on exfoliated samples and scanning tunneling spectroscopy on epitaxially grown monolayer islands signal the existence of edge modes with conductance approaching the quantized value. Here, we directly image the local conductivity of monolayer WTe2 devices using microwave impedance microscopy, establishing beyond doubt that conduction is indeed strongly localized to the physical edges at temperatures up to 77 K and above. The edge conductivity shows no gap as a function of gate voltage, ruling out trivial conduction due to band bending or in-gap states, and is suppressed by magnetic field as expected. Interestingly, we observe additional conducting lines and rings within most samples which can be explained by edge states following boundaries between topologically trivial and non-trivial regions. These observations will be critical for interpreting and improving the properties of devices incorporating WTe2 or other air-sensitive 2D materials. At the same time, they reveal the robustness of the QSH channels and the potential to engineer and pattern them by chemical or mechanical means in the monolayer material platform.
We find that quantum spin Hall (QSH) state can be obtained on a square-like or rectangular lattice, which is generalized from two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) haeckelites. Band inversion is shown to be controled by hopping parameters and results in Dirac cones with opposite or same vorticity when spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is not considered. Effective k$cdot$p model has been constructed to show the merging or annihilation of these Dirac cones, supplemented with the intuitive pseudospin texture. Similar to graphene based honeycomb lattice system, the QSH insulator is driven by SOC, which opens band gap at the Dirac cones. We employ the center evolution of hybrid Wannier function from Wilson-loop method, as well as the direct integral of Berry curvature, to identify the $Z_2$ number. We hope our detailed analysis will stimulate further efforts in searching for QSH insulators in square or rectangular lattice, in addition to the graphene based honeycomb lattice.