Evidence for a Strong Topological Insulator Phase in $\mathrm{ZrTe_5}$
G. Manzoni, L. Gragnaniello, G. Autès, T. Kuhn, A. Sterzi, F. Cilento, M. Zacchigna, V. Enenkel, I. Vobornik, L. Barba, F. Bisti, Ph. Bugnon, A. Magrez, V. N. S… 展开作者
G. Manzoni, L. Gragnaniello, G. Autès, T. Kuhn, A. Sterzi, F. Cilento, M. Zacchigna, V. Enenkel, I. Vobornik, L. Barba, F. Bisti, Ph. Bugnon, A. Magrez, V. N. Strocov, H. Berger, O. V. Yazyev, M. Fonin, F. Parmigiani, A. Crepaldi
The complex electronic properties of $\mathrm{ZrTe_5}$ have recently stimulated in-depth investigations that assigned this material to either a topological insulator or a 3D Dirac semimetal phase. Here we report a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of both electronic and structural properties of $\mathrm{ZrTe_5}$, revealing that the bulk material is a strong topological insulator (STI). By means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we identify at the top of the valence band both a surface and a bulk state. The dispersion of these bands is well captured by ab initio calculations for the STI case, for the specific interlayer distance measured in our x-ray diffraction study. Furthermore, these findings are supported by scanning tunneling spectroscopy revealing the metallic character of the sample surface, thus confirming the strong topological nature of $\mathrm{ZrTe_5}$.
Based on density functional theory (DFT), we investigate the electronic properties of bulk and single-layer ZrTe$_4$Se. The band structure of bulk ZrTe$_4$Se can produce a semimetal-to-topological insulator (TI) phase transition under uniaxial strain. The maximum global band gap is 0.189 eV at the 7\% tensile strain. Meanwhile, the Z$_2$ invariants (0; 110) demonstrate conclusively it is a weak topological insulator (WTI). The two Dirac cones for the (001) surface further confirm the nontrivial topological nature. The single-layer ZrTe$_4$Se is a quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator with a band g…
We report an atomic-scale characterization of ZrTe$_5$ by using scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe a bulk bandgap of ~80 meV with topological edge states at the step edge, and thus demonstrate ZrTe$_5$ is a two dimensional topological insulator. It is also found that an applied magnetic field induces energetic splitting and spatial separation of the topological edge states, which can be attributed to a strong link between the topological edge states and bulk topology. The perfect surface steps and relatively large bandgap make ZrTe$_5$ be a potential candidate for future fundamental stu…
ZrTe$_5$ and HfTe$_5$ have attracted increasingly attention recently since the theoretical prediction of being topological insulators (TIs). However, subsequent works show many contradictions about their topological nature.Three possible phases, i.e. strong TI, weak TI, and Dirac semi-metal, have been observed in different experiments until now. Essentially whether ZrTe$_5$ or HfTe$_5$ has a band gap or not is still a question. Here, we present detailed first-principles calculations on the electronic and topological properties of ZrTe$_5$ and HfTe$_5$ on variant volumes and clearly demonstrate…
A quantum spin Hall insulator hosts topological states at the one-dimensional edge, along which backscattering by nonmagnetic impurities is strictly prohibited and dissipationless current flows. Its 3D analogue, a weak topological insulator (WTI), possesses similar quasi-1D topological states confined at side surfaces of crystals. The enhanced confinement could provide a route for dissipationless current and better advantages for applications relative to the widely studied strong topological insulators. However, the topological side surface is usually not cleavable and is thus hard to observe …
We report $^{125}$Te NMR measurements of the topological quantum material ZrTe$_5$. Spin-lattice relaxation results, well-explained by a theoretical model of Dirac electron systems, reveal that the topological characteristic of ZrTe$_5$ is $T$-dependent, changing from weak topological insulator to strong topological insulator as temperature increases. Electronic structure calculations confirm this ordering, the reverse of what has been proposed. NMR results demonstrate a gapless Dirac semimetal state occurring at a Lifshitz transition temperature, $T_c=85$ K in our crystals. We demonstrate tha…
Topological semimetal may have substantial applications in electronics, spintronics and quantum computation. Recently, ZrTe is predicted as a new type of topological semimetal due to coexistence of Weyl fermion and massless triply degenerate nodal points. In this work, the elastic and transport properties of ZrTe are investigated by combining the first-principles calculations and semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. Calculated elastic constants prove mechanical stability of ZrTe, and the bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus and Possion's ratio also are calculated. It is found that…
Although, the long-standing debate on the resistivity anomaly in ZrTe$_{5}$ somewhat comes to an end, the exact topological nature of the electronic band structure remains elusive till today. Theoretical calculations predicted that bulk ZrTe$_{5}$ to be either a weak or a strong three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator. However, the angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and transport measurements clearly demonstrate 3D Dirac cone state with a small mass gap between the valence band and conduction band in the bulk. From the magnetization and magneto-transport measurements on ZrTe$_{5}$ …
Recently, ZrTe$_5$ has received a lot of attention as it exhibits various topological phases, such as weak and strong topological insulators, a Dirac semimetal, and a quantum spin Hall insulator in the monolayer limit. While most of studies have been focused on the three-dimensional bulk material, it is highly desired to obtain nanostructured materials due to their advantages in device applications. We report the synthesis and characterizations of ZrTe$_5$ nanoribbons. Via a silicon-assisted chemical vapor transport method, long nanoribbons with thickness as thin as 20 nm can be grown. The gro…
Quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators, a new class of quantum matters, can support topologically protected helical edge modes inside bulk insulating gap, which can lead to dissipationless transport. A major obstacle to reach wide application of QSH is the lack of suitable QSH compounds, which should be easily fabricated and has large size of bulk gap. Here we predict that single layer ZrTe$_5$ and HfTe$_5$ are the most promising candidates to reach the large gap QSH insulators with bulk direct (indirect) band gap as large as 0.4 eV (0.1 eV), and robust against external strains. The 3D crystals of…
Two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators (TIs) with a large bulk band-gap are promising for experimental studies of the quantum spin Hall effect and for spintronic device applications. Despite considerable theoretical efforts in predicting large-gap 2D TI candidates, only few of them have been experimentally verified. Here, by combining scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we reveal that the top monolayer of ZrTe5 crystals hosts a large band gap of ~100 meV on the surface and a finite constant density-of-states within the gap at the step …
The identification of a non-trivial band topology usually relies on directly probing the protected surface/edge states. But, it is difficult to achieve electronically in narrow-gap topological materials due to the small (meV) energy scales. Here, we demonstrate that band inversion, a crucial ingredient of the non-trivial band topology, can serve as an alternative, experimentally accessible indicator. We show that an inverted band can lead to a four-fold splitting of the non-zero Landau levels, contrasting the two-fold splitting (spin splitting only) in the normal band. We confirm our predictio…
We study the effects of temperature on the topological nature of ZrTe$_5$, which sits near the phase boundary between strong and weak topological insulating orders. Using first-principles calculations, we show that the band gap and the topological indices of ZrTe$_5$ are extremely sensitive to thermal expansion, and that the electron-phonon interaction accounts for more than a third of the total temperature-dependent effects in ZrTe$_5$. We find that the temperature dependence of the band gap has an opposite sign in the strong and weak topological insulator phases. Based on this insight, we pr…
We have performed a systematic high-momentum-resolution photoemission study on ZrTe$_5$ using $6$ eV photon energy. We have measured the band structure near the $Γ$ point, and quantified the gap between the conduction and valence band as $18 \leq Δ\leq 29$ meV. We have also observed photon-energy-dependent behavior attributed to final-state effects and the 3D nature of the material's band structure. Our interpretation indicates the gap is intrinsic and reconciles discrepancies on the existence of a topological surface state reported by different studies. The existence of a gap suggests that Zr…
Using Landau level spectroscopy, we determine the temperature dependence of the energy band gap in zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe$_5$). We find that the band gap reaches $E_g=(5 \pm 1)$ meV at low temperatures and increases monotonously when the temperature is raised. This implies that ZrTe$_5$ is a weak topological insulator, with non-inverted ordering of electronic bands in the center of the Brillouin zone. Our magneto-transport experiments performed in parallel show that the resistivity anomaly in ZrTe$_5$ is not connected with the temperature dependence of the band gap.
The topological materials have attracted much attention recently. While three-dimensional topological insulators are becoming abundant, two-dimensional topological insulators remain rare, particularly in natural materials. ZrTe5 has host a long-standing puzzle on its anomalous transport properties; its underlying origin remains elusive. Lately, ZrTe5 has ignited renewed interest because it is predicted that single-layer ZrTe5 is a two-dimensional topological insulator and there is possibly a topological phase transition in bulk ZrTe5. However, the topological nature of ZrTe5 is under debate as…
Symmetry, dimensionality, and interaction are crucial ingredients for phase transitions and quantum states of matter. As a prominent example, the integer quantum Hall effect (QHE) represents a topological phase generally regarded as characteristic for two-dimensional (2D) electronic systems, and its many aspects can be understood without invoking electron-electron interaction. The intriguing possibility of generalizing QHE to three-dimensional (3D) systems was proposed decades ago, yet it remains elusive experimentally. Here, we report clear experimental evidence for the 3D QHE observed in bul…
We use first-principles methods to reveal that in ZrTe$_5$, a layered van der Waals material like graphite, atomic displacements corresponding to five of the six zone-center A$_g$ (symmetry-preserving) phonon modes can drive a topological phase transition from strong to weak topological insulator with a Dirac semimetal state emerging at the transition, giving rise to a Dirac topology surface in the multi-dimensional space formed by the A$_g$ phonon modes. This implies that the topological phase transition in ZrTe$_5$ can be realized with many different settings of external stimuli that are cap…
ZrTe$_5$ is a newly discovered topological material. Shortly after a single layer ZrTe$_5$ had been predicted to be a two-dimensional topological insulator, a handful of experiments have been carried out on bulk ZrTe$_5$ crystals, which however suggest that its bulk form may be a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal. We report the first transport study on ultra thin ZrTe$_5$ flakes down to 10 nm. A significant modulation of the characteristic resistivity maximum in the temperature dependence by thickness has been observed. Remarkably, the metallic behavior, occurring only below about …
Topological materials host robust properties, unaffected by microscopic perturbations, owing to the global topological properties of the bulk electron system. Materials in which the topological invariant can be changed by easily tuning external parameters are especially sought after. Zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe$_5$) is one of a few experimentally available materials that reside close to the boundary of a topological phase transition, allowing the switching of its invariant by mechanical strain. Here, we unambiguously identify a topological insulator - metal transition as a function of strai…
Novel phases of matter with unique properties that emerge from quantum and topological protection present an important thrust of modern research. Of particular interest is to engineer these phases on demand using ultrafast external stimuli, such as photoexcitation, which offers prospects of their integration into future devices compatible with optical communication and information technology. Here, we use MeV Ultrafast Electron Diffraction (UED) to show how a transient three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal state can be induced by a femtosecond laser pulse in a topological insulator ZrTe$_5$. …
Researches on anomalous Hall effect (AHE) have been lasting for a century to make clear the underlying physical mechanism. Generally, the AHE appears in magnetic materials, in which extrinsic process related to scattering effects and intrinsic contribution connected with Berry curvature are crucial. Recently, AHE has been counterintuitively observed in non-magnetic topological materials and attributed to the existence of Weyl points. However, the Weyl point scenario would lead to unsaturated AHE even in large magnetic fields and contradicts the saturation of AHE in several tesla (T) in experim…
Topological insulators (TIs) are promising for achieving dissipationless transport devices due to the robust gapless states inside the insulating bulk gap. However, currently realized 2D TIs, quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulators, suffer from ultra-high vacuum and extremely low temperature. Thus, seeking for desirable QSH insulators with high feasibility of experimental preparation and large nontrivial gap is of great importance for wide applications in spintronics. Based on the first-principles calculations, we predict a novel family of two-dimensional (2D) QSH insulators in transition-metal hal…
Topological insulators constitute a new and fascinating class of matter with insulating bulk yet metallic surfaces that host highly mobile charge carriers with spin-momentum locking. Remarkably, the direction and magnitude of surface currents can be controlled with tailored light beams, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet well understood. To directly resolve the "birth" of such photocurrents we need to boost the time resolution to the scale of elementary scattering events ($\sim$ 10 fs). Here, we excite and measure photocurrents in the three-dimensional model topological insulator $\math…
Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we visualized the native defects in antiferromagnetic topological insulator $\mathrm{MnBi_2Te_4}$. Two native defects $\mathrm{Mn_{Bi}}$ and $\mathrm{Bi_{Te}}$ antisites can be well resolved in the topographic images. $\mathrm{Mn_{Bi}}$ tend to suppress the density of states at conduction band edge. Spectroscopy imaging reveals a localized peak-like local density of state at $\sim80$~meV below the Fermi energy. A careful inspection of topographic and spectroscopic images, combined with density functional theory calculation, suggests this re…
Based on first-principles calculations and symmetry-based indicator analysis, we find a class of topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) with $C_2$ rotation anomaly in a family of Zintl compounds, including $\mathrm{Ba}_{3}\mathrm{Cd}_{2}\mathrm{As}_{4}$, $\mathrm{Ba}_{3}\mathrm{Zn}_{2}\mathrm{As}_{4}$ and $\mathrm{Ba}_{3}\mathrm{Cd}_{2}\mathrm{Sb}_{4}$. The nontrivial band topology protected by coexistence of $C_2$ rotation symmetry and time-reversal symmetry $T$ leads to two surface Dirac cones at generic momenta on both top and bottom surfaces perpendicular to the rotation axis. In additi…
Identifying topological insulators and semimetals often focuses on their surface states, using spectroscopic methods such as angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy or scanning tunneling microscopy. In contrast, studying the topological properties of topological insulators from their bulk-state transport is more accessible in most labs but seldom addressed. We show that, in the quantum limit of a topological insulator, the backscattering between the only two states on the Fermi surface of the lowest Landau band can be forbidden, at a critical magnetic field. The conductivity is determined so…
The realization of multifunctional two-dimensional (2D) materials is fundamentally intriguing, such as combination of piezoelectricity with topological insulating phase or ferromagnetism. In this work, a Janus monolayer $\mathrm{SrAlGaSe_4}$ is built from 2D $\mathrm{MA_2Z_4}$ family with dynamic, mechanical and thermal stabilities, which is piezoelectric due to lacking inversion symmetry. The unstrained $\mathrm{SrAlGaSe_4}$ monolayer is a narrow gap normal insulator (NI) with spin orbital coupling (SOC). However, the NI to topological insulator (TI) phase transition can be induced by the bia…
Recently, $\mathrm{BaSn_2}$ is predicted to be a strong topological insulator by the first-principle calculations. It is well known that topological insulator has a close connection to thermoelectric material, such as $\mathrm{Bi_2Te_3}$ family. In this work, we investigate thermoelectric properties of $\mathrm{BaSn_2}$ by the first-principles combined with Boltzmann transport theory. The electronic part is carried out by a modified Becke and Johnson (mBJ) exchange potential, including spin-orbit coupling (SOC), while the phonon part is performed using generalized gradient approximation (GGA).…
$\mathrm{MnBi_2Te_4}$ has recently been established as an intrinsic antiferromagnetic (AFM) topological insulator and predicted to be an ideal platform to realize quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator and axion insulator states. We performed comprehensive studies on the structure, nontrivial surface state and magnetotransport properties of this material. Our results reveal an intrinsic anomalous Hall effect arising from a non-collinear spin structure for the magnetic field parallel to the $c$-axis. We also observed remarkable negative magnetoresistance under arbitrary field orientation below …
Intrinsic magnetic topological insulator ${\mathrm{MnBi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{4}$ is believed to be an axion insulator in its antiferromagnetic ground state. However, direct identification of axion insulators remains experimentally elusive because the observed vanishing Hall resistance, while indicating the onset of the axion field, is inadequate to distinguish the system from a trivial normal insulator. Using numerical Green's functions, we theoretically demonstrate the quantized magnetoelectric current in a tunnel junction of atomically thin ${\mathrm{MnBi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{4}$ sandwiched be…
A combined theoretical and experimental study reveals evidence for the dual topological insulating character of the stoichiometric natural superlattice phase $\mathrm{Bi_{1}Te_{1}}=\mathrm{[Bi_{2}]_{1}[Bi_{2}Te_{3}]_{2}}$, being a stack of alternating Bi bilayers and two quintuple layers of $\mathrm{Bi_{2}Te_{3}}$. We identify $\mathrm{Bi_{1}Te_{1}}$ by density functional theory to exhibit a non trivial time-reversal symmetry-driven character of $\mathbb{Z}_{2}=(0;001)$ and additionally a mirror-symmetry induced mirror Chern number of $n_{\cal M}=-2$, which indicates that $\mathrm{Bi_{1}Te_{1}…
Nontrivial band topology combined with magnetic ordering can produce quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI), which may lead to advances in device concepts. Here, through first-principles calculations, stable monolayer $\mathrm{Fe_2Br_2}$ is predicted as a room-temperature large-gap high-Chern-number QAHI by using generalized gradient approximation plus $U$ (GGA+$U$) approach. The large gap is due to correlation-enhanced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect of Fe atoms, which equates with artificially increasing the strength of SOC without electronic correlation. Out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy i…
To further investigate the interplay between ferromagnetism and topological insulators, thin films of the low-carrier topological insulator (Bi$_x$Sb$_{1-x}$)$_2$Te$_3$ were deposited on the insulating ferromagnet EuS (100) in situ. AC susceptibility indicates magnetic anomalies between $T\approx30~\mathrm{K}$ and $T\approx60~\mathrm{K}$, well above the Curie temperature $T_C \approx 15~\mathrm{K}$ of EuS. When the Fermi level is close to the Dirac point and the surface state dominates the electric conduction, sharp increases in resistance with decreasing temperatures were observed concurrentl…
Coexistence of intrinsic ferrovalley (FV) and nontrivial band topology attracts intensive interest both for its fundamental physics and for its potential applications, namely valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall insulator (VQAHI). Here, based on first-principles calculations by using generalized gradient approximation plus $U$ (GGA+$U$) approach, the VQAHI induced by electronic correlation or strain can occur in monolayer $\mathrm{RuBr_2}$. For perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), the ferrovalley (FV) to half-valley-metal (HVM) to quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) to HVM to FV transitions ca…
We report spin-current generation related with skyrmion dynamics resonantly excited by a microwave in a helimagnetic insulator $\mathrm{Cu_2OSeO_3}$. A Pt layer was fabricated on $\mathrm{Cu_2OSeO_3}$ and voltage in the Pt layer was measured upon magnetic resonance of $\mathrm{Cu_2OSeO_3}$ to electrically detect injected spin currents via the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) in Pt. We found that ISHE-induced electromotive forces appear in the skyrmion phase of $\mathrm{Cu_2OSeO_3}$ as well as in the ferrimagnetic phase, which shows that magnetic skyrmions can contribute to the spin pumping effe…
The discovery of new materials that efficiently transmit spin currents has been important for spintronics and material science. The electric insulator $\mathrm{Gd}_3\mathrm{Ga}_5\mathrm{O}_{12}$ (GGG) is a superior substrate for growing magnetic films, but has never been considered as a conduit for spin currents. Here we report spin current propagation in paramagnetic GGG over several microns. Surprisingly, the spin transport persists up to temperatures of 100 K $\gg$ $T_{\mathrm{g}} = 180$ mK, GGG's magnetic glass-like transition temperature. At 5 K we find a spin diffusion length ${λ_{\mathr…
Facet-selective ballistic supercurrent in a weak topological insulator
Chalmers University of Technology（查尔姆斯理工大学）；University of Gothenburg（哥德堡大学）；Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung（马克斯·普朗克固体研究所）；Universität Würzburg（维尔茨堡大学）；Radboud University（拉德堡德大学）；Tohoku University（东北大学）
Recently, the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators are predicted in Lithium-decorated iron-based superconductor monolayer materials (LiFeX (X=S, Se and Te)) with very high Curie temperature (\textcolor[rgb]{0.00,0.00,1.00}{PRL 125, 086401 (2020)}), which combines the topological and ferromagnetic (FM) orders. It is interesting and useful to achieve coexistence of intrinsic piezoelectricity, ferromagnetism and nontrivial band topology in single two-dimensional (2D) material, namely 2D piezoelectric quantum anomalous hall insulator (PQAHI). In this work, 2D Janus monolayer $\mathrm{Li_2Fe_2SS…
Metal-ion doping can effectively regulate the metal-insulator transition temperature in $\mathrm{VO}_2$. Experiments found that the pentavalent and hexavalent ion doping dramatically reduces the transition temperature while the trivalent ion doping increases the transition temperature and induces intermediate phases. Based on the phase-field model of the metal-insulator transition in $\mathrm{VO}_2$ we developed previously, we formulate a Landau potential of the metal-ion-doped $\mathrm{VO}_2$ taking account of the effects of doping on the electron correlation and lattice structure. The effect…
Topological insulators with intrinsic magnetic ordering, potentially hosting rare quantum effects, recently attracted extensive attention. MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ is the first established example. The Sb-doped variant Mn(Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$)$_2$Te$_4$ shows a great variety of electronic properties depending on the Sb content~$x$, such as shifts in the Fermi level and the Neel temperature $T_{\mathrm N}$, and the change of the free charge carrier type from $n$- to $p$-type at high Sb substitution ratios. Here, we investigate the effect of magnetic ordering on the bulk electronic structure of Mn(Bi$_{1-x}$S…
Achieving combination of spin and valley polarized states with topological insulating phase is pregnant to promote the fantastic integration of topological physics, spintronics and valleytronics. In this work, a spin-valley-coupled quantum spin Hall insulator (svc-QSHI) is predicted in Janus monolayer $\mathrm{CSb_{1.5}Bi_{1.5}}$ with dynamic, mechanical and thermal stabilities. The inequivalent valleys have opposite Berry curvature and spin moment, which can produce a spin-valley Hall effect. In the center of Brillouin zone, a Rashba-type spin splitting can be observed due to missing horizont…
The combination of piezoelectricity with nontrivial topological insulating phase in two-dimensional (2D) systems, namely piezoelectric quantum spin Hall insulator (PQSHI), is intriguing for exploring novel topological states toward the development of high-speed and dissipationless electronic devices. In this work, we predict a PQSHI Janus monolayer VCClBr constructed from $\mathrm{VCCl_2}$, which is dynamically, mechanically and thermally stable. In the absence of spin orbital coupling (SOC), VCClBr is a narrow gap semiconductor with gap value of 57 meV, which is different from Dirac semimetal…
A two-dimensional (2D) material with piezoelectricity, topological and ferromagnetic (FM) orders, namely 2D piezoelectric quantum anomalous hall insulator (PQAHI), may open new opportunities to realize novel physics and applications. Here, by first-principles calculations, a family of 2D Janus monolayer $\mathrm{Fe_2IX}$ (X=Cl and Br) with dynamic, mechanical and thermal stabilities is predict to be room-temperature PQAHI. At the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), monolayer $\mathrm{Fe_2IX}$ (X=Cl and Br) is a half Dirac semimetal state. When the SOC is included, these monolayers become qua…
The prospective of optically inducing a spin polarized current for spintronic devices has generated a vast interest in the out-of-equilibrium electronic and spin structure of topological insulators (TIs). In this Letter we prove that only by measuring the spin intensity signal over several order of magnitude in spin, time and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (STAR-PES) experiments is it possible to comprehensively describe the optically excited electronic states in TIs materials. The experiments performed on $\mathrm{Bi_{2}Se_{3}}$ reveal the existence of a Surface-Resonance-State in …
Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) combined with electronic correlation can induce topological phase transition, producing novel electronic states. Here, we investigate the impact of SOC combined with correlation effects on physical properties of monolayer $\mathrm{OsBr_2}$, based on first-principles calculations with generalized gradient approximation plus $U$ (GGA+$U$) approach. With intrinsic out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy, $\mathrm{OsBr_2}$ undergoes threefold topological phase transition with increasing $U$, and valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall insulator (VQAHI) to half-valley-metal (HVM)…
Precompression engineering of metal-insulator transition and magnetism in designed breathing kagome systems
School of Physics and Astronomy, and Key Laboratory of Multiscale Spin Physics (Ministry of Education), Beijing Normal University（北京师范大学物理与天文学院，多尺度自旋物理教育部重点实验室）；College of Physics, Hebei Normal University, and Hebei Advanced Thin Films Laboratory（河北师范大学物理学院，河北省先进薄膜实验室）
Terahertz spin-orbit torque as a drive of spin dynamics in the insulating antiferromagnet Cr$_{2}$O$_{3}$
Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院 IOFFE 研究所）；Institute of Molecule and Crystal Physics, Ufa Federal Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院乌法联邦研究中心分子与晶体物理研究所）；Ufa University of Science and Technology（乌法科学技术大学）；Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University（拉德堡德大学分子与材料研究所）；New Spintronic Technologies LLC（新自旋技术有限责任公司）；Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院普罗霍罗夫普通物理研究所）；Amirkhanov Institute of Physics, Dagestan Federal Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院达吉斯坦联邦研究中心阿米汉诺夫物理研究所）
Modification of the gap at the Dirac point (DP) in antiferromagnetic (AFM) axion topological insulator MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ and its electronic and spin structure has been studied by angle- and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) under laser excitation with variation of temperature (9-35~K), light polarization and photon energy. We have distinguished both a large (62-67~meV) and a reduced (15-18~meV) gap at the DP in the ARPES dispersions, which remains open above the Néel temperature ($T_\mathrm{N}=24.5$~K). We propose that the gap above $T_\mathrm{N}$ remains open due to short-range ma…
The decoupling of epitaxial factors influencing on the dynamic instabilities of AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator semiconductor high electron mobility transistors is investigated. Three different sets of samples have been analyzed by means of dynamic instabilities in the threshold voltage (V$_{\mathrm{th}}$ shift). Secondary ion mass spectroscopy, steady-state photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been performed in conjunction with electrical characterization. The device dynamic performance is found to be significantly dependent on both the C concentration close to the channel as well as on the dis…
We show that gated bilayer graphene hosts a strong topological insulator (TI) phase in the presence of Rashba spin-orbit (SO) coupling. We find that gated bilayer graphene under preserved time-reversal symmetry is a quantum valley Hall insulator for small Rashba SO coupling $λ_{\mathrm{R}}$, and transitions to a strong TI when $λ_{\mathrm{R}} > \sqrt{U^2+t_\bot^2}$, where $U$ and $t_\bot$ are respectively the interlayer potential and tunneling energy. Different from a conventional quantum spin Hall state, the edge modes of our strong TI phase exhibit both spin and valley filtering, and thus sh…
