As recent additions to the catalog of 2D crystals, silicene and other silicene-class crystals have numerous unique properties currently being investigated and considered for use in novel device applications. In this paper, we investigate electronic and transport properties of silicene in a field effect transistor geometry. We find that the Berry curvature of silicene-class crystals can be continuously tuned by a perpendicular electric field. By direct calculation of the $Z_2$ invariant, we confirm that an electronic phase transition from a topological insulator to a band insulator occurs when the electric field passes a critical value. In a device setting with asymmetric gate voltages, this field-tunable Berry curvature generates a large spin current transverse to the charge current. When the electric field strength surpasses the critical value, the bulk spin current is found to change direction and greatly decrease in magnitude. This finding of a large magnitude, switchable spin current suggests that the silicene family of 2D crystals could be an attractive candidate for field-tunable charge-spin conversion. Such field-tunable phase transitions between topologically distinct phases could be useful for robust qubits as well.
We demonstrate a novel concept for operating graphene-based Hall sensors using an alternating current (AC) modulated gate voltage, which provides three important advantages compared to Hall sensors under static operation: 1) The sensor sensitivity can be doubled by utilizing both n- and p-type conductance. 2) A static magnetic field can be read out at frequencies in the kHz range, where the 1/f noise is lower compared to the static case. 3) The off-set voltage in the Hall signal can be reduced. This significantly increases the signal-to-noise ratio compared to Hall sensors without a gate elect…
We measure the low-field Hall resistivity of a magnetically-doped two-dimensional electron gas as a function of temperature and electrically-gated carrier density. Comparing these results with the carrier density extracted from Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations reveals an excess Hall resistivity that increases with decreasing temperature. This excess Hall resistivity qualitatively tracks the paramagnetic polarization of the sample, in analogy to the ferromagnetic anomalous Hall effect. The data are consistent with skew-scattering of carriers by disorder near the crossover to localization.
We engineer quantum anomalous Hall effect in silicene via doping 3d transition metals. We show that there exists a stable quantum anomalous Hall effect in Vanadium doped silicene using both analytical model and Wannier interpolation. We also predict the quantum valley Hall effect and electrically tunable topological states could be realized in certain transition metal doped silicene where the energy band inversion occurs. Our finding provides new scheme for the realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect and platform for electrically controllable topological states.
We analyze the Landau level (LL) structure and spin Hall effect in a MoS2 trilayer. Due to orbital asymmetry, the low-energy Dirac fermions become heavily massive and the LL energies grow linearly with $B$, rather than with $\sqrt{B}$. Spin-orbital couplings break spin and valley degenerate LL's into two time reversal invariant groups, with LL crossing effects present in the valence bands. We find a field-dependent unconventional Hall plateau sequence $ν=...$ $-2M-6$, $-2M-4$, $-2M-2$, $-2M-1$, ..., -5, -3, -1, 0, 2, 4 .... In a p-n junction, spin-resolved fractionally quantized conductance ap…
Despite many years of efforts, attempts to reach the quantum regime of topological surface states (TSS) on an electrically tunable topological insulator (TI) platform have so far failed on binary TI compounds such as Bi2Se3 due to high density of interfacial defects. Here, utilizing an optimal buffer layer on a gatable substrate, we demonstrate the first electrically tunable quantum Hall effects (QHE) on TSS of Bi2Se3. On the n-side, well-defined QHE shows up, but it diminishes near the charge neutrality point (CNP) and completely disappears on the p-side. Furthermore, around the CNP the syste…
Although much effort has been made to explore quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in both theory and experiment, the QAHE systems with tunable Chern numbers are yet limited. Here, we theoretically propose that NiAsO$_3$ and PdSbO$_3$, monolayer transitional metal oxides, can realize QAHE with tunable Chern numbers via manipulating their magnetization orientations. When the magnetization lies in the \textit{x-y} plane and all mirror symmetries are broken, the low-Chern-number (i.e., $\mathcal{C}=\pm1$) phase emerges. When the magnetization exhibits non-zero \textit{z}-direction component, the …
Recently, signatures of nonlinear Hall effects induced by Berry-curvature dipoles have been found in atomically thin 1T'/Td-WTe$_2$. In this work, we show that in strained polar transition-metal dichalcogenides(TMDs) with 2H-structures, Berry-curvature dipoles created by spin degrees of freedom lead to strong nonlinear Hall effects. Under an easily accessible uniaxial strain of order 0.2%, strong nonlinear Hall signals, characterized by a Berry-curvature dipole on the order of 1Å, arise in electron-doped polar TMDs such as MoSSe, and this is easily detectable experimentally. Moreover, the magn…
Based on a combination of $k \cdot p$ theory, band topology analysis and electronic structure calculations, we predict the (111) thin films of the SnTe class of three-dimensional (3D) topological crystalline insulators realize the quantum spin Hall phase in a wide range of thickness. The nontrivial topology originates from the inter-surface coupling of the topological surface states of TCI in the 3D limit. The inter-surface coupling changes sign and gives rise to topological phase transitions as a function of film thickness. Furthermore, this coupling can be strongly affected by an external el…
Topological properties in condensed matter physics are often claimed to be a fruitful resource for technical applications, but so far they only play a minor role in applications. Here we propose to put topological edge states to use in tailored graphene for Fermi velocity engineering. By tuning external control parameters such as gate voltages, the dispersions of the edge states regime are modified in a controllable way. This enables the realizations of devices such as tunable delay lines and interferometers with switchable delays.
In this Letter, a tunable valley polarization is investigated for honeycomb systems with broken inversion symmetry such as transition-metal dichalcogenide MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) monolayers through elliptical pumping. As compared to circular pumping, elliptical pumping is more universal and effective method to create coherent valley polarization. When two valleys of MX2 monolayers are doped or polarized, a novel anomalous valley orbital magnetic moment Hall effect driven by opposite Berry curvatures at different valleys is predicted and can generate orbital magnetic moment current without t…
Topological aspects represent currently a boosting area in condensed matter physics. Yet there are very few suggestions for technical applications of topological phenomena. Still, the most important is the calibration of resistance standards by means of the integer quantum Hall effect. We propose modifications of samples displaying the integer quantum Hall effect which render the tunability of the Fermi velocity possible by external control parameters such as gate voltages. In this way, so far unexplored possibilities arise to realize devices such as tunable delay lines and interferometers.
Electron interferometry with quantum Hall edge channels holds promise for probing and harnessing exotic exchange statistics of non-Abelian anyons. In semiconductor heterostructures, however, quantum Hall interferometry has proven challenging and often obscured by charging effects. Here we show that high-mobility monolayer graphene equipped with a series of gate-tunable quantum point contacts that act as electron beam-splitters provides a model system to perform Fabry-Pérot quantum Hall interferometry. We observe high-visibility Aharonov-Bohm interference free of charging effects and widely tun…
We present a tunable phononic crystal which undergoes a phase transition from mechanically insulating to mechanically transmissive (metallic). Specifically, in our simulations for a phononic lattice under biaxial tension ($σ_{xx} =σ_{yy}$ = 0.01 N$/$m), we find a bandgap for out-of-plane phonons in the range of 48.8 - 56.4 MHz, which we can close by increasing the degree of tension uniaxiality ($σ_{xx} / σ_{yy}$) to 1.7. To manipulate the tension distribution, we design a realistic device of finite size, where $σ_{xx} / σ_{yy}$ is tuned by applying a gate voltage to a phononic crystal made fro…
Solid-state magnetic field sensors are important to both modern electronics and fundamental materials science. Many types of these sensors maintain high sensitivity only in a limited range of temperature and background magnetic field, but Hall-effect sensors are in principle able to operate over a broad range of these conditions. Here, we fabricate and characterize micrometer-scale graphene Hall sensors demonstrating high magnetic field sensitivity from liquid-helium to room temperature and in background magnetic field up to several Tesla. By tuning the charge carrier density with an electrost…
Based on $k\cdot p$ analysis and realistic tight-binding calculations, we find that time-reversal-breaking Weyl semimetals can be realized in magnetically-doped (Mn, Eu, Cr etc.) Sn$_{1-x}$Pb$_x$(Te,Se) class of topological crystalline insulators. All the Weyl points are well separated in momentum space and possess nearly the same energy due to high crystalline symmetry. Moreover, both the Weyl points and Fermi arcs are highly tunable by varying Pb/Sn composition, pressure, magnetization, temperature, surface potential etc., opening up the possibility of manipulating Weyl points and rewiring t…
The field of topological insulators (TIs) is rapidly growing. Concerning possible applications, the search for materials with an easily controllable TI phase is a key issue. The quantum spin Hall effect, characterized by a single pair of helical edge modes protected by time-reversal symmetry, has been demonstrated in HgTe-based quantum wells (QWs) with an inverted bandgap. We analyze the topological properties of a generically coupled HgTe-based double QW (DQW) and show how in such a system a TI phase can be driven by an inter-layer bias voltage, even when the individual layers are non-inverte…
Based on first-principles calculations, we find novel valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall (VP-QAH) phases with a large gap-0.19 eV at an appropriate buckled angle and tunable topological phase transitions driven by the spontaneous magnetization within a half-hydrogenated Bi honeycomb monolayer. Depending on the magnetization orientation, four different phases can emerge, i.e., two VP-QAH phases, ferromagnetic insulating and metallic states. When the magnetization is reversed from the +$\mathbf{z}$ to -$\mathbf{z}$ directions, accompanying with a sign change in the Chern number (from -1 to …
We theoretically investigate gate-defined graphene superlattices with broken inversion symmetry as a platform for realizing tunable valley dependent transport. Our analysis is motivated by recent experiments [C. Forsythe et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 13, 566 (2018)] wherein gate-tunable superlattice potentials have been induced on graphene by nanostructuring a dielectric in the graphene/patterneddielectric/gate structure. We demonstrate how the electronic tight-binding structure of the superlattice system resembles a gapped Dirac model with associated valley dependent transport using an unfolding …
We theoretically study the Josephson current in a superconductor/quantum anomalous Hall insulator/superconductor junction by using the lattice Green function technique. When an in-plane external Zeeman field is applied to the quantum anomalous Hall insulator, the Josephson current $J$ flows without a phase difference across the junction $θ$. The phase shift $φ$ appealing in the current-phase relationship $J\propto \sin(θ-φ$) is proportional to the amplitude of Zeeman fields and depends on the direction of Zeeman fields. A phenomenological analysis of the Andreev reflection processes explains t…
Twistronics is currently one of the most active research fields in condensed matter physics, following the discovery of correlated insulating and superconducting phases in twisted bilayer graphene (tBLG). Here, we present a magnonic analogue of tBLG. We study magnons in twisted ferromagnetic bilayers (tFBL), including exchange and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI). For negligible DMI, tFBL presents discrete magnon magic angles and flat moiré minibands analogous to tBLG. The DMI, however, changes the picture and renders the system much more exotic. The DMI in tFBL induces a rich topologi…
Berry curvature is analogous to magnetic field but in momentum space and is commonly present in materials with non-trivial quantum geometry. It endows Bloch electrons with transverse anomalous velocities to produce Hall-like currents even in the absence of a magnetic field. We report the direct observation of in situ tunable valley-selective Hall effect (VSHE), where inversion symmetry, and thus the geometric phase of electrons, is controllable by an out-of-plane electric field. We use high-quality bilayer graphene with an intrinsic and tunable bandgap, illuminated by circularly polarized mid-…
We study the possibility of realizing quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) with tunable Chern number through doping magnetic elements in the multi-layer topological insulator film. We find that high Chern number QAHE phases exist in the ideal neutral samples and it can make transition to another QAHE phase directly by means of tuning the exchange field strength or sample thickness. With the help of an extended Haldane model, we demonstrate the physical mechanism of the tunable Chern number QAHE phase. Further, we study the phenomena in the realistic samples with the Fermi energy being gating-m…
We study spin Hall effect in a three terminal Y-shaped device in presence of tunable spin-orbit (SO) interactions via Landauer-Büttiker formalism. We have evolved a fabrication technique for creating different angular separation between the two arms of the Y-shaped device so as to investigate the effect of angular width on the spin Hall conductance (SHC). A smaller angular separation yields a larger conductance. Also arbitrary orientation of the spin quantization axes yields interesting three dimensional contour maps for the SHC corresponding to different angular separation of the Y-shaped dev…
Recent advances in the physics of current-driven antiferromagnetic skyrmions have observed the absence of a Magnus force. We outline the symmetry reasons for this phenomenon, and show that this cancellation will fail in the case of spin polarized currents. Pairing micromagnetic simulations with semiclassical spin wave transport theory, we demonstrate that skyrmions produce a spin-polarized transverse magnon current, and that spin-polarized magnon currents can in turn produce transverse motion of antiferromagnetic skyrmions. We examine qualitative differences in the frequency dependence of the …
Charge carriers in the quantum Hall regime propagate via one-dimensional conducting channels that form along the edges of a two-dimensional electron gas. Controlling their transmission through a gate-tunable constriction, also called quantum point contact (QPC), is fundamental for many coherent transport experiments. However, in graphene, tailoring a QPC with electrostatic gates remains challenging due to the formation of p-n junctions below gate electrodes along which electron and hole edge channels co-propagate and mix, short-circuiting the constriction. Here we show that this electron-hole …
In the quantum anomalous Hall effect, chiral edge modes are expected to conduct spin polarized current without dissipation and thus hold great promise for future electronics and spintronics with low energy consumption. However, spin polarization of chiral edge modes has never been established in experiments. In this work, we theoretically study spin polarization of chiral edge modes in the quantum anomalous Hall effect, based on both the effective model and more realistic tight-binding model constructed from the first principles calculations. We find that spin polarization can be manipulated b…
The quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect has recently been realized in thin films of intrinsic magnetic topological insulators (IMTIs) like MnBi$_2$Te$_4$. Here we point out that that the QAH gaps of these IMTIs can be optimized, and that both axion insulator/semimetal and Chern insulator/semimetal transitions can be driven by electrical gate fields on the $\sim 10$ meV/nm scale. This effect is described by combining a simplified coupled-Dirac-cone model of multilayer thin films with Schr{ö}dinger-Poisson self-consistent-field equations.
Spin-orbit coupling stands as a powerful tool to interconvert charge and spin currents and to manipulate the magnetization of magnetic materials through the spin torque phenomena. However, despite the diversity of existing bulk materials and the recent advent of interfacial and low-dimensional effects, control of the interconvertion at room-temperature remains elusive. Here, we unequivocally demonstrate strongly enhanced room-temperature spin-to-charge (StC) conversion in graphene driven by the proximity of a semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide(WS2). By performing spin precession ex…
The co-presence of multiple Dirac bands in few-layer graphene leads to a rich phase diagram in the quantum Hall regime. Using transport measurements, we map the phase diagram of BN-encapsulated ABA-stacked trilayer graphene as a function charge density n, magnetic field B and interlayer displacement field D, and observe transitions among states with different spin, valley, orbital and parity polarizations. Such rich pattern arises from crossings between Landau levels from different subbands, which reflect the evolving symmetries that are tunable in situ. At D=0, we observe fractional quantum H…
We theoretically demonstrate that class-I topological Dirac semimetals (TDSMs) can provide a platform for realizing both electrically and magnetically tunable spin-charge conversion. With time-reversal symmetry, the spin component along the uniaxial rotation axis ($z$-axis) is approximately conserved, which leads to an anisotropic spin Hall effect -- the resulting spin Hall current relies on the relative orientation between the external electric field and the $z$-axis. The application of a magnetic field, on the other hand, breaks time-reversal symmetry, driving the TDSM into a Weyl semimetal …
We theoretically study the thermal Hall effect by magnons in skyrmion crystal phases of ferrimagnets in the vicinity of the angular momentum compensation point (CP). To this end, we start by deriving the equation of motion for magnons in the background of an arbitrary equilibrium spin texture, which gives rise to the fictitious electromagnetic field for magnons. As the net spin density varies, the resultant equation of motion interpolates between the relativistic Klein-Gordon equation at CP and the nonrelativistic Schr{ö}dinger-like equation away from it. In skyrmion crystal phases, the right-…
The electronic topology is generally related to the Berry curvature, which can induce the anomalous Hall effect in time-reversal symmetry breaking systems. Intrinsic monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides possesses two nonequivalent K and K' valleys, having Berry curvatures with opposite signs, and thus vanishing anomalous Hall effect in this system. Here we report the experimental realization of asymmetrical distribution of Berry curvature in a single valley in monolayer WSe2 through applying uniaxial strain to break C3v symmetry. As a result, although the Berry curvature itself is still …
We propose a new topological quantum state of matter---the two-dimensional (2D) Weyl half semimetal (WHS), which features 2D Weyl points at Fermi level belonging to a single spin channel, such that the low-energy electrons are described by fully spin-polarized 2D Weyl fermions. We predict its realization in the ground state of monolayer PtCl$_3$. We show that the material is a half metal with an in-plane magnetization, and its Fermi surface consists of a pair of fully spin-polarized Weyl points protected by a mirror symmetry, which are robust against spin-orbit coupling. Remarkably, we show th…
Electric gating can strongly modulate a wide variety of physical properties in semiconductors and insulators, such as significant changes of conductivity in silicon, appearance of superconductivity in SrTiO3, the paramagnet-ferromagnet transition in (In,Mn)As and so on. The key to such modulation is charge accumulation in solids. Thus, it has been believed that such modulation is out of reach for conventional metals where the number of carriers is too large. However, success in tuning the Curie temperature of ultrathin cobalt gave hope of finally achieving such degree of control even in metall…
Intrinsic spin Hall conductivities are calculated for strong spin-orbit Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_x$ semimetals, from the Kubo formula and using Berry curvatures evaluated throughout the Brillouin zone from a tight-binding Hamiltonian. Nearly-crossing bands with strong spin-orbit interaction generate giant spin Hall conductivities in these materials, ranging from 474 ($\hbar$/e)($Ω$cm)$^{-1}$ for bismuth to 96 ($\hbar$/e)($Ω$cm)$^{-1}$ for antimony; the value for bismuth is more than twice that of platinum. The large spin Hall conductivities persist for alloy compositions corresponding to a three-dimensio…
Exploration of spin-currents in organic semiconductors (OSECs) induced by resonant microwave absorption in ferromagnetic substrates has been of great interest for potential spintronics applications. Due to the inherently weak spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of OSECs, their inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) response is very subtle; limited by the microwave power applicable under continuous-wave (cw) excitation. Here we introduce a novel approach for generating significant ISHE signals using pulsed ferromagnetic resonance, where the ISHE is ~2-3 orders of magnitude larger compared to cw excitation. This…
We study the magnetotransport properties of dual-gated graphene bilayers, in which the total density and layer density imbalance are independently controlled. As the bilayer is imbalanced we observe the emergence of a quantum Hall state (QHS) at filling factor $ν=0$ evinced by a plateau in the Hall conductivity, consistent with the opening of a gap between the electron and hole bands. By varying the layer density imbalance at fixed total density, we observe a suppression of the QHS at filling factors $ν=8$ and $ν=12$ when the layer densities are balanced, an observation at variance with theore…
Light-tunable quantum metric non-linear Hall response in Berry dipole semimetals
Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee（印度理工学院鲁尔基分校纳米技术中心）；Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore（印度科学学院固态与结构化学单元）
In the field of phononics, periodic patterning controls vibrations and thereby the flow of heat and sound in matter. Bandgaps arising in such phononic crystals realize low-dissipation vibrational modes and enable applications towards mechanical qubits, efficient waveguides, and state-of-the-art sensing. Here, we combine phononics and two-dimensional materials and explore the possibility of manipulating phononic crystals via applied mechanical pressure. To this end, we fabricate the thinnest possible phononic crystal from monolayer graphene and simulate its vibrational properties. We find a ban…
The chirality of electronic Bloch bands is responsible for many intriguing properties of layered two-dimensional materials. We show that in bilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), unlike in few-layer graphene and monolayer TMDCs, both intra-layer and inter-layer couplings give important contributions to the Berry-curvature in the $K$ and $-K$ valleys of the Brillouin zone. The inter-layer contribution leads to the stacking dependence of the Berry curvature and we point out the differences between the commonly available 3R type and 2H type bilayers. Due to the inter-layer contribu…
Symmetry breaking in a quantum system often leads to complex emergent behavior. In bilayer graphene (BLG), an electric field applied perpendicular to the basal plane breaks the inversion symmetry of the lattice, opening a band gap at the charge neutrality point. In a quantizing magnetic field electron interactions can cause spontaneous symmetry breaking within the spin and valley degrees of freedom, resulting in quantum Hall states (QHS) with complex order. Here we report fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS) in bilayer graphene which show phase transitions that can be tuned by a transverse el…
Temperature dependence of the longitudinal and Hall resistance is studied in the regime of localization-delocalization transition. We carry out measurements of a scaling exponent $κ$ in the Landau level mixing region at several filling factors. The localization exponent $γ$ is extracted using an approach based on the variable range hopping theory. The values of $γ$ and $κ$ are found to be universal, independent of filling factor in our sample. We can conclude that although Landau level mixing can change the degeneracy of a quantum Hall state, the value of the scaling exponent remains the same …
A novel topological insulator with tunable edge states, called quantum spin-quantum anomalous Hall (QSQAH) insulator, is predicted in a heterostructure of a hydrogenated Sb (SbH) monolayer on a LaFeO3 substrate by using ab initio methods. The substrate induces a drastic staggered exchange field in the SbH film, which plays an important role to generate the QSQAH effect. A topologically nontrivial band gap (up to 35 meV) is opened by Rashba spin-orbit coupling, which can be enlarged by strain and electric field. To understand the underlying physical mechanism of the QSQAH effect, a tight-bindin…
Moiré interlayer exciton in transition metal dichalcogenide heterobilayer features a permanent electric dipole that enables the electrostatic control of its flow, and optical dipole that is spatially varying in the moiré landscape. We show the hybridization of moiré interlayer exciton with photons in a planar 2D cavity leads to two types of moiré polaritons that exhibit distinct forms of topological transport phenomena including the spin/valley Hall and polarization Hall effects, which feature remarkable electrical tunability through the control of exciton-cavity detuning by the interlayer bia…
The second-order nonlinear Hall effect illuminates a frequency-doubling transverse current emerging in quantum materials with broken inversion symmetry even when time-reversal symmetry is preserved. This nonlinear response originates from both the Berry curvature dipole and the chiral Bloch electron skew scatterings, reflecting various information of the lattice symmetries, band dispersions, and topology of the electron wavefunctions. Even though many efforts have been put in detecting the nonlinear Hall effect in diverse condensed matter systems, effective manipulation of the two principal me…
