What is topological in topological insulators?

A topological insulator is a material that behaves as an insulator in its interior but whose surface contains conducting states, meaning that electrons can only move along the surface of the material.

What is a topological Axion insulator?

Axion insulators are magnetic topological insulators which may exhibit an exotic quantized magnetoelectric effect. An example of an axion insulator is the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. Bansil says, “This axion insulating state was realized by combining certain metals and observing their magnetoelectric response.

What is a topological insulator used for?

A relative newcomer in the field, and one of growing importance to condensed matter physicists, is the topological insulator: it manipulates electricity unlike anything else known in nature or in the laboratory. In its interior, or bulk, the topological insulator stops current, just like a conventional insulator.

Is graphene a topological insulator?

Graphene has been successfully converted into a unique state of topological insulator for the first time. Graphene, a two-dimensional material with single atomic layer composed only of carbon, has attracted attention as a next-generation electronic device material because of its high thermal and electric conductivity.

What is Z2 topological insulator?

More recently, 3d topological insulators were also observed in nature [41]. These 2d and 3d topological insulators are characterized by a Z2-valued invariant, and they are stable under small perturbations by impurities or defects, so such materials are called Z2 topological insulators.

What is topological crystalline insulator?

Topological crystalline insulators are new states of matter in which the topological nature of electronic structures arises from crystal symmetries. Here we predict the first material realization of topological crystalline insulator in the semiconductor SnTe by identifying its non-zero topological index.

What is Chern insulator?

A Chern insulator is 2-dimensional insulator with broken time-reversal symmetry. (If you have for example a 2-dimensional insulator with time-reversal symmetry it can exhibit a Quantum Spin Hall phase). The topological invariant of such a system is called the Chern number and this gives the number of edge states.

In what respect topological insulator is different from an ordinary insulator?

Topological insulator has an energy gap in the bulk interior, just as in an ordinary insulator, but it contains conducting states localized on its surface.

Is graphene a topological?

The magnetic field is responsible for the geometric variations and these changes are identified as topological aspects in graphene. By varying the geometry of the graphene one can create topologically distinct surfaces which could be remarked as torus or sphere.

What is topologically protected?

June 2020) Symmetry-protected topological (SPT) order is a kind of order in zero-temperature quantum-mechanical states of matter that have a symmetry and a finite energy gap.

What is 2D topological insulator?

Two-dimensional topological insulators (2D TIs) are a remarkable class of atomically thin layered materials that exhibit unique symmetry-protected helical metallic edge states with an insulating interior. Recent years have seen a tremendous surge in research of this intriguing new state of quantum matter.

What is a fractional Chern insulator?

Fractional Chern insulators (FCIs) are lattice analogues of fractional quantum Hall states that may provide a new avenue towards manipulating non-Abelian excitations.

Why do topological insulators with transition metals show spontaneous magnetization?

The chemical doping of topological insulators with transition metal elements induces a spontaneous magnetization that interacts with the topological surface state to open a mass gap at the Dirac point.

Why is the topological magnetoelectric effect cancelled out in Qah insulators?

However, in the case of a QAH insulator, the θ term has opposite signs on the top and bottom surfaces. Hence, macroscopically, the topological magnetoelectric effect is cancelled out.

What is the future of magnetic topological insulators (Tis)?

Heterostructure engineering and the development of new measurement techniques will further broaden the field of magnetic topological insulators (TIs). Heterostructures based on magnetic insulators (MIs) and TIs may realize the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) at high temperatures through magnetic proximity effects.

How does magnetization reversal work?

Thanks to this feature, the magnetization reversal alters the direction of CEMs, the switching between a QAH state and an axion insulator state controls their presence or absence 108, 109, 110, and the domain wall motion changes their position 77, 79.