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At least 271 records · Page 15

Higher Hall conductivity from a single wave function: Obstructions to symmetry-preserving gapped edge of (2+1)-dimensional topological order

A (2+1)D topologically ordered phase with U(1) symmetry may or may not have a symmetric gapped edge state, even if both thermal and electric Hall conductivity are vanishing. It has recently been discovered that there are “higher” versions of Hall conductivity valid for fermionic fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states that obstruct symmetry-preserving gapped edge states beyond thermal and electric Hall conductivity. In this paper, we show that one can extract higher Hall conductivity from a single wave function of an FQH state, by evaluating the expectation value of the “partial rotation” unitary, which is a combination of partial spatial rotation and a U(1) phase rotation. This result is verified numerically with the fermionic Laughlin state with 𝜈=1/3 and 1/5, as well as the non-Abelian Moore-Read state. Together with topological entanglement entropy, we prove that the expectation values of the partial rotation completely determine if a bosonic/fermionic Abelian topological order with U(1) symmetry has a symmetry-preserving gappable edge state or not. We also show that thermal and electric Hall conductivity of Abelian topological order can be extracted by partial rotations. Even in non-Abelian FQH states, partial rotation provides the Lieb-Schultz-Mattis type theorem constraining the low-energy spectrum of the bulk-boundary system. The generalization of higher Hall conductivity to the case with Lie group symmetry is also presented.

2-dimensional systems↗

Distinguishing surface and bulk electromagnetism via their dynamics in an intrinsic magnetic topological insulator

The indirect exchange interaction between local magnetic moments via surface electrons has been long predicted to bolster the surface ferromagnetism in magnetic topological insulators (MTIs), which facilitates the quantum anomalous Hall effect. This unconventional effect is critical to determining the operating temperatures of future topotronic devices. However, the experimental confirmation of this mechanism remains elusive, especially in intrinsic MTIs. Here, we combine time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements to elucidate the unique electromagnetism at the surface of an intrinsic MTI MnBi 2 Te 4 . Theoretical modeling based on 2D Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions captures the initial quenching of a surface-rooted exchange gap within a factor of two but overestimates the bulk demagnetization by one order of magnitude. This mechanism directly explains the sizable gap in the quasi-2D electronic state and the nonzero residual magnetization in even-layer MnBi 2 Te 4 . Furthermore, it leads to efficient light-induced demagnetization comparable to state-of-the-art magnetophotonic crystals, promising an effective manipulation of magnetism and topological orders for future topotronics.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Epitaxial 2D Magnet and Topological Insulator Heterostructures

I will discuss our latest advances on the epitaxial growth of 2D van der Waals (vdW) magnets and their integration with topological insulators (TI). This work is motivated by the realization of topological phases such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect and highly efficient spin-orbit torque produced by TIs. Our initial studies of MnSe2 growth on Bi2Se3 showed a tendency for the interdiffusion of Mn into the Bi2Se3. This ultimately led to the synthesis of MnBi2Se4 (MBS), a new magnetic TI. Interestingly, the vdW phase is not the thermodynamically stable phase and bulk crystals do not exist, so the epitaxial stabilization of MBS creates the opportunity to explore the magnetic and topological properties of this material. We find that MBS is a layered antiferromagnet, similar to MnBi2Te4, but a difference is that the magnetic moments lie in the plane of the film. Angle resolved photoemission experiments show the presence of a topological surface state with Dirac dispersion. For bilayers of 2D magnets and TIs, we have developed FGT films on Bi2Te3. We first optimized FGT by studying its growth on Ge(111) substrates, where we find that kinetic considerations play a major role. Using cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, we optimize the FGT films to have atomically smooth surfaces and abrupt interfaces with the Ge(111). Subsequently, we have developed the growth of FGT on Bi2Te3 for the integration of 2D magnets with Tis. Interestingly, we observe room temperature ferromagnetism in FGT/Bi2Te3 heterostructures by varying the growth conditions.

Kawakami, Roland↗

Spin Reversal of a Quantum Hall Ferromagnet at a Landau Level Crossing

When Landau levels (LLs) become degenerate near the Fermi energy in the quantum Hall regime, interaction effects can drastically modify the electronic ground state. Here, we study the quantum Hall ferromagnet formed in a two-dimensional hole gas around the LL filling factor v = 1 in the vicinity of a LL crossing in the heave-hole valence band. Cavity spectroscopy in the strong-coupling regime allows us to optically extract the spin polarization of the two-dimensional hole gas. By analyzing this polarization as a function of hole density and magnetic field, we observe a spin flip of the ferromagnet. Furthermore, the depolarization away from v = 1 accelerates close to the LL crossing. This is indicative of an increase in the size of skyrmion excitations as the effective Zeeman energy vanishes at the LL crossing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum kinetics of anomalous and nonlinear Hall effects in topological semimetals

Highlights: • Linear and photogalvanic anomalous Hall responses are systematically derived. • Extrinsic mechanisms of AHE include Gaussian, diffractive, hybrid skew scattering. • Diagrammatic calculations are matched to semiclassical picture of AHE. • The Pancharatnam phase of multifold fermions determines the skew scattering amplitude. • Photon-induced interband scattering are accompanied by coordinate shifts. We present a systematic microscopic derivation of the semiclassical Boltzmann equation for band structures with the finite Berry curvature based on Keldysh technique of nonequilibrium systems. In the analysis, an AC electrical driving field is kept up to quadratic order, and both cases of small and large frequencies corresponding to intra- and interband transitions are considered. In particular, this formulation is suitable for the study of nonlinear Hall effect and photogalvanic phenomena. The role of impurity scattering is carefully addressed. Specifically, in addition to previously studied side-jump and skew-scattering processes, quantum interference diffractive contributions are now explicitly incorporated within the developed framework. This theory is applied to multifold fermions in topological semimetals, for which the generic formula for the skew scattering rate from the Pancharatnam phase is obtained along with the corresponding anomalous Hall conductivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Proximity Effects and Topological Spin Currents in van der Waals Heterostructures (Final Report)

The major goal of this grant has been to study spin-polarized topological edge states. The original proposal was focused specifically on those of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, which was proposed to be realizable via a (simultaneous) magnetic and spin-orbit proximity effect in graphene. En route to realizing the QAH effect, the goal was also to study the newly-discovered 2D magnetic insulators, which have finally been isolated in the single-to-few atomic layers from compounds whose bulk properties have known since the 1970s, and the extent to which magnetic effects could be seen in graphene via proximity coupling. Since the original proposal, the scope of the work has expanded to include study of the topological edge states of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect and how they are modified by proximity effects and in twisted bilayers. The broader scientific context of the experiments in this proposal is to understand the physical mechanisms behind proximity effects in van der Waals heterostructures. Perhaps the ultimate scientific and technological goal of realizing topological states through proximity effects is the creation of Majorana zero modes in solid-state devices, which has been identified as a major priority in condensed-matter physics and quantum information because of the potential use of Majorana zero modes in topological quantum computing. Van der Waals materials offer advantages in this area because of the diversity of materials that can potentially be used and the unique device architectures that are possible using the van der Waals assembly techniques.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Floquet band engineering and topological phase transitions in 1T’ transition metal dichalcogenides

Using ab initio tight-binding approaches, we investigate Floquet band engineering of the 1T' phase of transition metal dichalcogenides (MX 2 , M = W, Mo and X = Te, Se, S) monolayers under the irradiation with circularly polarized light. Furthermore, our first principles calculations demonstrate that light can induce important transitions in the topological phases of this emerging materials family. For example, upon irradiation, Te-based MX2 undergoes a phase transition from quantum spin Hall (QSH) semimetal to time-reversal symmetry broken QSH insulator with a nontrivial band gap of up to 92.5 meV. On the other hand, Se- and S-based MX 2 undergoes the topological phase transition from the QSH effect to the quantum anomalous Hall effect and into trivial phases with increasing light intensity. From a general perspective, this theoretical work brings further insight into non-equilibrium topological systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum Phase Engineering of Two-Dimensional Post-Transition Metals by Substrates: Toward a Room-Temperature Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator

In this work, we propose a new strategy to engineer topological and magnetic properties of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal lattices consisting of post-transition metals. Our first-principles calculations demonstrate that substrates serve as templates to form 2D lattices with high thermodynamic stability, where their topological properties as well as magnetic properties sensitively change as a function of lattice constants, i.e., the system undergoes a first-order phase transition from nonmagnetic to ferromagnetic state above a critical lattice constant. Consequently, substrates can be used to explore versatile magnetic, electronic, and quantum topological properties. We establish phase diagrams of versatile quantum phases in terms of exchange coupling and spin–orbit coupling effectively tuned by the lattice constants. We further reveal the first room-temperature quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect, i.e., Sn on 2√3 × 2√3 graphane is a QAH insulator with a large spin–orbit coupling gap of ~0.2 eV and a Curie temperature of ~380 K by using the 2D anisotropic Heisenberg model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Exploring Quantized Axion Electrodynamics in Magnetic Topological Insulator Multilayer Heterostructures (Final Technical Report)

The current program is focusing on investigating the properties of the high Chern number quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in magnetic topological insulator (TI) multilayer heterostructures and the exploration of the topological magnetoelectric effect in thick magnetic TI films/heterostructures. Our program includes both experimental and theoretical efforts on this topic.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Severe Dirac Mass Gap Suppression in Sb 2 Te 3 -Based Quantum Anomalous Hall Materials

The quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect appears in ferromagnetic topological insulators (FMTIs) when a Dirac mass gap opens in the spectrum of the topological surface states (SSs). Unaccountably, although the mean mass gap can exceed 28 meV (or ~320 K), the QAH effect is frequently only detectable at temperatures below 1 K. Using atomic-resolution Landau level spectroscopic imaging, we compare the electronic structure of the archetypal FMTI Cr 0.08 (Bi 0.1 Sb 0.9 ) 1.92 Te 3 to that of its nonmagnetic parent (Bi 0.1 Sb 0.9 ) 2 Te 3 , to explore the cause. In (Bi 0.1 Sb 0.9 ) 2 Te 3 , we find spatially random variations of the Dirac energy. Statistically equivalent Dirac energy variations are detected in Cr 0.08 (Bi 0.1 Sb 0.9 ) 1.92 Te 3 with concurrent but uncorrelated Dirac mass gap disorder. Additionally, these two classes of SS electronic disorder conspire to drastically suppress the minimum mass gap to below 100 μeV for nanoscale regions separated by <1 μm. This fundamentally limits the fully quantized anomalous Hall effect in Sb 2 Te 3 -based FMTI materials to very low temperatures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Antiferromagnetic topological insulating state in $\mathrm{Tb_{0.02}Bi_{1.08}Sb_{0.9}Te_2S}$ single crystals

Topological insulators are emerging materials with insulating bulk and symmetry protected nontrivial surface states. One of the most fascinating transport behaviors in a topological insulator is the quantized anomalous Hall insulator, which has been observed in magnetic-topological-insulator-based devices. Here in this work, we report a successful doping of rare earth element Tb into Bi 1.08 Sb 0.9 Te 2 S topological insulator single crystals, in which the Tb moments are antiferromagnetically ordered below ~10 K. Benefiting from the in-bulk-gap Fermi level, transport behavior dominant by the topological surface states is observed below ~150 K. At low temperatures, strong Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations are observed, which exhibit 2D-like behavior. The topological insulator with long range magnetic ordering in rare earth doped Bi 1.08 Sb 0.9 Te 2 S single crystal provides an ideal platform for quantum transport studies and potential applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

A unified realization of electrical quantities from the quantum International System of Units

In the revised International System of Units (SI), the ohm and the volt are realized from the von Klitzing constant and the Josephson constant, and a practical realization of the ampere is possible by applying Ohm’s law directly to the quantum Hall and Josephson effects. As a result, it is possible to create an instrument capable of realizing all three primary electrical units, but the development of such a system remains challenging. Here, in this study, we report a unified realization of the volt, ohm and ampere by integrating a quantum anomalous Hall resistor (QAHR) and a programmable Josephson voltage standard (PJVS) in a single cryostat. Our system has a quantum voltage output that ranges from 0.24 mV to 6.5 mV with combined relative uncertainties down to 3 μV V −1 . The QAHR provides a realization of the ohm at zero magnetic field with uncertainties near 1 μΩ Ω −1 . We use the QAHR to convert a longitudinal current to a quantized Hall voltage and then directly compare that against the PJVS to realize the ampere. We determine currents in the range of 9.33–252 nA, and our lowest uncertainty is 4.3 μA A −1 at 83.9 nA. For other current values, a systematic error that ranges from −10 μA A −1 to −30 μA A −1 is present due to the imperfect isolation of the PJVS microwave bias.

Quantum metrology↗

Composite fermion nonlinear sigma models

We study particle-hole symmetry at the integer quantum Hall plateau transition using composite fermion mean-field theory. Because this theory implicitly includes some electron-electron interactions, it also has applications to certain fractional quantum Hall plateau transitions. Previous work [P. Kumar et al., Phys. Rev. B 100, 235124 (2019)] using this approach showed that the diffusive quantum criticality of this transition is described by a nonlinear sigma model with topological θ = π term. This result, which holds for both the Dirac and Halperin, Lee, and Read composite fermion theories, signifies an emergent particle-hole (reflection) symmetry of the integer (fractional) quantum Hall transition. Here we consider the stability of this result to various particle-hole symmetry-violating perturbations. In the presence of quenched disorder that preserves particle-hole symmetry, we find that finite longitudinal conductivity at this transition requires the vanishing of a symmetry-violating composite fermion effective mass, which if present would generally lead to θ ≠ π and a corresponding violation of particle-hole symmetric electrical transport σ xy ≠ $\frac1{2}$$\frac{e^2}{h}$ . When the disorder does not preserve particle-hole symmetry, we find that θ can vary continuously within the diffusive regime. Our results call for further study of the universality of the quantum Hall plateau transition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetization Dependent In-plane Anomalous Hall Effect in a Low-dimensional System

Anomalous Hall Effect (AHE) response in magnetic systems is typically proportional to an out-of-plane magnetization component because of the restriction imposed by system symmetries, which demands that the magnetization, applied electric field, and induced Hall current are mutually orthogonal to each other. Here, we report experimental realization of an unconventional form of AHE in a low-dimensional heterostructure, wherein the Hall response is not only proportional to the out-of-plane magnetization component but also to the in-plane magnetization component. By interfacing a low-symmetry topological semimetal (TaIrTe4) with the ferromagnetic insulator (Cr2Ge2Te6), we create a low-dimensional magnetic system, where only one mirror symmetry is preserved. We show that as long as the magnetization has a finite component in the mirror plane, this last mirror symmetry is broken, allowing the emergence of an AHE signal proportional to in-plane magnetization. Our experiments, conducted on multiple devices, reveal a gate-voltage-dependent AHE response, suggesting that the underlying mechanisms responsible for the Hall effect in our system can be tuned via electrostatic gating. A minimal microscopic model constrained by the symmetry of the heterostructure shows that both interfacial spin-orbit coupling and time-reversal symmetry breaking via the exchange interaction from magnetization are responsible for the emergence of the in-plane AHE. Our work highlights the importance of system symmetries and exchange interaction in low-dimensional heterostructures for designing novel and tunable Hall effects in layered quantum systems.

FOS: Physical sciences↗

Quantum Spin Hall Edge States and Interlayer Coupling in Twisted Bilayer WTe 2

The quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, characterized by topologically protected spin-polarized edge states, was recently demonstrated in monolayers of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) WTe 2 . However, the robustness of this topological protection remains largely unexplored in van der Waals heterostructures containing one or more layers of a QSH insulator. Here, we use scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) to explore the topological nature of twisted bilayer (tBL) WTe 2 . Furthermore, at the tBL edges, we observe the characteristic spectroscopic signatures of the QSH edge states. For small twist angles, a rectangular moiré pattern develops, which results in local modifications of the band structure. Using first-principles calculations, we quantify the interactions in tBL WTe 2 and its topological edge states as a function of interlayer distance and conclude that it is possible to engineer the topology of WTe 2 bilayers via the twist angle as well as interlayer interactions.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Fractional chiral hinge insulator

We propose and study a wave function describing an interacting three-dimensional fractional chiral hinge insulator (FCHI) constructed by Gutzwiller projection of two noninteracting second-order topological insulators with chiral hinge modes at half filling. We use large-scale variational Monte Carlo computations to characterize the model states via the entanglement entropy and charge-spin fluctuations. We show that the FCHI possesses fractional chiral hinge modes characterized by a central charge c = 1 and Luttinger parameter K = 1/2, like the edge modes of a Laughlin 1/2 state. The bulk and surface topology is characterized by the topological entanglement entropy (TEE) correction to the area law. While our computations indicate a vanishing bulk TEE, we show that the gapped surfaces host an unconventional two-dimensional topological phase. In a clear departure from the physics of a Laughlin 1/2 state, we find a TEE per surface compatible with (ln √2 )/2, half that of a Laughlin 1/2 state. This value cannot be obtained from topological quantum field theory for purely two-dimensional systems. For the sake of completeness, we also investigate the topological degeneracy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Crossover from 2D Ferromagnetic Insulator to Wide Band Gap Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator in Ultrathin MnBi 2 Te 4

Intrinsic magnetic topological insulators offer low disorder and large magnetic band gaps for robust magnetic topological phases operating at higher temperatures. By controlling the layer thickness, emergent phenomena such as the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect and axion insulator phases have been realized. Furthermore, these observations occur at temperatures significantly lower than the Néel temperature of bulk MnBi 2 Te 4 , and measurement of the magnetic energy gap at the Dirac point in ultrathin MnBi 2 Te 4 has yet to be achieved. Critical to achieving the promise of this system is a direct measurement of the layer-dependent energy gap and verification of a temperature-dependent topological phase transition from a large band gap QAH insulator to a gapless TI paramagnetic phase. Here we utilize temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to study epitaxial ultrathin MnBi 2 Te 4 . We directly observe a layer-dependent crossover from a 2D ferromagnetic insulator with a band gap greater than 780 meV in one septuple layer (1 SL) to a QAH insulator with a large energy gap (>70 meV) at 8 K in 3 and 5 SL MnBi 2 Te 4 . The QAH gap is confirmed to be magnetic in origin, as it becomes gapless with increasing temperature above 8 K.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗