Analytic approach to the edge state of the Kane-Mele Model

We investigate the edge state of a two-dimensional topological insulator based on the Kane-Mele model. Using complex wave numbers of the Bloch wave function, we derive an analytical expression for the edge state localized near the edge of a semi-infinite honeycomb lattice with a straight edge. For the comparison of the edge type effects, two types of the edges are considered in this calculation; one is a zigzag edge and the other is an armchair edge. The complex wave numbers and the boundary condition give the analytic equations for the energies and the wave functions of the edge states. The numerical solutions of the equations reveal the intriguing spatial behaviors of the edge state. We define an edge-state width for analyzing the spatial variation of the edge-state wave function. Our results show that the edge-state width can be easily controlled by a couple of parameters such as the spin-orbit coupling and the sublattice potential. The parameter dependences of the edge-state width show substantial differences depending on the edge types. These demonstrate that, even if the edge states are protected by the topological property of the bulk, their detailed properties are still discriminated by their edges. This edge dependence can be crucial in manufacturing small-sized devices since the length scale of the edge state is highly subject to the edges.

Bifurcation of the Edge-State Width in the Two-Dimensional Topological Insulator

We examine the properties of edge states in a two-dimensional topological insulator. Based on the Kane-Mele model, we derive two coupled equations for the energy and the effective width of edge states at a given momentum in a semi-infinite honeycomb lattice with a zigzag boundary. It is revealed that, in a one-dimensional Brillouin zone, the edge states merge into the continuous bands of the bulk states through a bifurcation of the edge-state width. We discuss the implications of the results to the experiments in monolayer or thin films of topological insulators.

Intimate relations between electronic nematic, d-density wave and d-wave superconducting states

This paper consists of two important theoretical observations on the interplay between l = 2 condensates; d-density wave (ddw), electronic nematic and d-wave superconducting states. (1) There is SO(4) invariance at a transition between the nematic and d-wave superconducting states. The nematic and d-wave pairing operators can be rotated into each other by pseudospin SU(2) generators, which are s-wave pairing and electron density operators. The difference between the current work and the previous O(4) symmetry at a transition between the ddw and d-wave superconducting states (Nayak 2000 Phys. Rev. B 62 R6135) is presented. (2) The nematic and ddw operators transform into each other under a unitary transformation. Thus, when a Hamiltonian is invariant under such a transformation, the two states are exactly degenerate. The competition between the nematic and ddw states in the presence of a degeneracy breaking term is discussed.