Electron-Elastic-Wave Interaction in a Two-Dimensional Topological Insulator

The interaction between an electron and an elastic wave is investigated for HgTe and InAs-GaSb quantum wells. The well-known Bernevig Hughes-Zhang model, i.e., the 4 × 4 model for a two-dimensional （2D） topological insulator （TI）, is extended to include the terms that describe the coupling between the electron and the elastic wave. The influence of this interaction on the transport properties of the 2DTI and of the edge states is discussed. As the electron-like and hole-like carriers interact with the elastic wave differently due to the crystal symmetry of the 2DTI, one may utilize the elastic wave to tune^control the transport property of charge carriers in the 2DTI. The extended 2DTI model also provides the possibility to investigate the backscattering of edge states of a 2DTI more realistically.

Graphene-like Be_3X_2(X=C,Si, Ge,Sn):A new family of two-dimensional topological insulators

Using first-principle calculations, we predict a new family of stable two-dimensional(2 D) topological insulators(TI),monolayer Be_3 X_2(X = C,Si, Ge, Sn) with honeycomb Kagome lattice. Based on the configuration of Be_3 C_2, which has been reported to be a 2 D Dirac material, we construct the other three 2 D materials and confirm their stability according to their chemical bonding properties and phonon-dispersion relationships. Because of their tiny spin-orbit coupling(SOC)gaps, Be_3 C_2 and Be_3 Si_2 are 2 D Dirac materials with high Fermi velocity at the same order of magnitude as that of graphene.For Be3 Ge2 and Be_3 Sn_2,the SOC gaps are 1.5 meV and 11.7 meV, and their topological nontrivial properties are also confirmed by their semi-infinite Dirac edge states. Our findings not only extend the family of 2 D Dirac materials, but also open an avenue to track new 2 DTI.

Efficiency of electrical manipulation in two-dimensional topological insulators

We investigate the efficiency of electrical manipulation in a two-dimensional topological insulator by inspecting the electronic states of a lateral electrical potential superlattice in the system. The spatial distribution of the electron density in the system can be tuned by changing the strength of the externally applied lateral electrical superlattice potential. This provides us the information about how efficiently one can manipulate the electron motion inside a two-dimensional topo- logical insulator. Such information is important in designing electronic devices, e.g., an electric field effect transistor made of the topological insulator. The electronic states under various conditions are examined carefully. It is found that the dispersion of the mini-band and the electron distribution in the potential well region both display an oscillatory behavior as the potential strength of the lateral superlattice increases. The probability of finding an electron in the potential well region can be larger or smaller than the average as the potential strength varies. These features can be attributed to the coupled multiple-band nature of the topological insulator. In addition, it is also found that these behaviors are not sensitive to the gap parameter of the two-dimensional topological insulator model. Our study suggests that the electron density manipulation via electrical gating in a two-dimensional topological insulator is less effective and more delicate than that in a traditional single-band semiconductor.

Optical study of magnetic topological insulator MnBi_(4)Te_7

We present an infrared spectroscopy study of the magnetic topological insulator MnBi_(4)Te_7 with antiferromagnetic(AFM) order below the Neel temperature TN= 13 K. Our investigation reveals that the low-frequency optical conductivity consists of two Drude peaks, indicating a response of free carriers involving multiple bands. Interestingly, the narrow Drude peak grows strongly as the temperature decreases, while the broad Drude peak remains relatively unchanged. The onset of interband transitions starts around 2000 cm^(-1), followed by two prominent absorption peaks around 10000 cm^(-1) and 20000 cm^(-1). Upon cooling, there is a notable transfer of spectral weight from the interband transitions to the Drude response. Below TN, the AFM transition gives rise to small anomalies of the charge response due to a band reconstruction.These findings provide valuable insights into the interplay between magnetism and the electronic properties in MnBi_(4)Te_7.

Recent progress on valley polarization and valley-polarized topological states in two-dimensional materials

Valleytronics, using valley degree of freedom to encode, process, and store information, may find practical applications in low-power-consumption devices. Recent theoretical and experimental studies have demonstrated that twodimensional(2D) honeycomb lattice systems with inversion symmetry breaking, such as transition-metal dichalcogenides(TMDs), are ideal candidates for realizing valley polarization. In addition to the optical field, lifting the valley degeneracy of TMDs by introducing magnetism is an efficient way to manipulate the valley degree of freedom. In this paper, we first review the recent progress on valley polarization in various TMD-based systems, including magnetically doped TMDs,intrinsic TMDs with both inversion and time-reversal symmetry broken, and magnetic TMD heterostructures. When topologically nontrivial bands are empowered into valley-polarized systems, valley-polarized topological states, namely valleypolarized quantum anomalous Hall effect can be realized. Therefore, we have also reviewed the theoretical proposals for realizing valley-polarized topological states in 2D honeycomb lattices. Our paper can help readers quickly grasp the latest research developments in this field.

Higher-order topological Anderson insulator on the Sierpiński lattice

Disorder effects on topological materials in integer dimensions have been extensively explored in recent years. However, its influence on topological systems in fractional dimensions remains unclear. Here, we investigate the disorder effects on a fractal system constructed on the Sierpiński lattice in fractional dimensions. The system supports the second-order topological insulator phase characterized by a quantized quadrupole moment and the normal insulator phase. We find that the second-order topological insulator phase on the Sierpiński lattice is robust against weak disorder but suppressed by strong disorder. Most interestingly, we find that disorder can transform the normal insulator phase to the second-order topological insulator phase with an emergent quantized quadrupole moment. Finally, the disorder-induced phase is further confirmed by calculating the energy spectrum and the corresponding probability distributions.

Topological Anderson insulator in two-dimensional non-Hermitian systems

We study the disorder-induced phase transition in two-dimensional non-Hermitian systems.First,the applicability of the noncommutative geometric method(NGM)in non-Hermitian systems is examined.By calculating the Chern number of two different systems(a square sample and a cylindrical one),the numerical results calculated by NGM are compared with the analytical one,and the phase boundary obtained by NGM is found to be in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.Then,we use NGM to investigate the evolution of the Chern number in non-Hermitian samples with the disorder effect.For the square sample,the stability of the non-Hermitian Chern insulator under disorder is confirmed.Significantly,we obtain a nontrivial topological phase induced by disorder.This phase is understood as the topological Anderson insulator in non-Hermitian systems.Finally,the disordered phase transition in the cylindrical sample is also investigated.The clean non-Hermitian cylindrical sample has three phases,and such samples show more phase transitions by varying the disorder strength:(1)the normal insulator phase to the gapless phase,(2)the normal insulator phase to the topological Anderson insulator phase,and(3)the gapless phase to the topological Anderson insulator phase.

Topological edge and corner states of valley photonic crystals with zipper-like boundary conditions

We present a stable valley photonic crystal(VPC)unit cell with C_(3v)symmetric quasi-ring-shaped dielectric columns and realize its topological phase transition by breaking mirror symmetry.Based on this unit cell structure,topological edge states(TESs)and topological corner states(TCSs)are realized.We obtain a new type of wave transmission mode based on photonic crystal zipper-like boundaries and apply it to a beam splitter assembled from rectangular photonic crystals(PCs).The constructed beam splitter structure is compact and possesses frequency separation functions.In addition,we construct a box-shaped triangular PC structures with zipper-like boundaries and discover phenomena of TCSs in the corners,comparing its corner states with those formed by other boundaries.Based on this,we explore the regularities of the electric field patterns of TESs and TCSs,explain the connection between the characteristic frequencies and locality of TCSs,which helps better control photons and ensures low power consumption of the system.

Valleytronic topological filters in silicene-like inner-edge systems

Inner edge state with spin and valley degrees of freedom is a promising candidate for designing a dissipationless device due to the topological protection. The central challenge for the application of the inner edge state is to generate and modulate the polarized currents. In this work, we discover a new mechanism to generate fully valley-and spin–valley-polarized current caused by the Bloch wavevector mismatch(BWM). Based on this mechanism, we design some serial-typed inner-edge filters. By using once of the BWM, the coincident states could be divided into transmitted and reflected modes, which can serve as a valley or spin–valley filter. In particular, while with twice of the BWM, the incident current is absolutely reflected to support an off state with a specified valley and spin, which is different from the gap effect.These findings give rise to a new platform for designing valleytronics and spin-valleytronics.

Optical manipulation of the topological phase in ZrTe_(5) revealed by time-and angle-resolved photoemission

High-resolution time-and angle-resolved photoemission measurements were conducted on the topological insulator ZrTe_(5).With strong femtosecond photoexcitation,a possible ultrafast phase transition from a weak to a strong topological insulating phase was experimentally realized by recovering the energy gap inversion in a time scale that was shorter than 0.15 ps.This photoinduced transient strong topological phase can last longer than 2 ps at the highest excitation fluence studied,and it cannot be attributed to the photoinduced heating of electrons or modification of the conduction band filling.Additionally,the measured unoccupied electronic states are consistent with the first-principles calculation based on experimental crystal lattice constants,which favor a strong topological insulating phase.These findings provide new insights into the longstanding controversy about the strong and weak topological properties in ZrTe_(5),and they suggest that many-body effects including electron–electron interactions must be taken into account to understand the equilibrium weak topological insulating phase in ZrTe_(5).

Topology Optimization of Sound-Absorbing Materials for Two-Dimensional Acoustic Problems Using Isogeometric Boundary Element Method

In this work,an acoustic topology optimizationmethod for structural surface design covered by porous materials is proposed.The analysis of acoustic problems is performed using the isogeometric boundary elementmethod.Taking the element density of porousmaterials as the design variable,the volume of porousmaterials as the constraint,and the minimum sound pressure or maximum scattered sound power as the design goal,the topology optimization is carried out by solid isotropic material with penalization(SIMP)method.To get a limpid 0–1 distribution,a smoothing Heaviside-like function is proposed.To obtain the gradient value of the objective function,a sensitivity analysis method based on the adjoint variable method(AVM)is proposed.To find the optimal solution,the optimization problems are solved by the method of moving asymptotes(MMA)based on gradient information.Numerical examples verify the effectiveness of the proposed topology optimization method in the optimization process of two-dimensional acoustic problems.Furthermore,the optimal distribution of sound-absorbingmaterials is highly frequency-dependent and usually needs to be performed within a frequency band.

Research on Ventilation and Heat Insulation Layer Design of Split-Type Roof Greening Based on Topological Interlocking Principle

In this paper,the roof ventilation and heat insulation layer modules are combined with the roof greening,and each module is assembled through the principle of topological interlocking.The assembly of these modules does not require any rivets or cement mortar,and the structural stability of the overall assembled roof is achieved only through the interlocking and limiting the movements of the interlocked units.The green roof designed in this paper has strong applicability and can be applied to roofs of different shapes.Such a roof can not only meet the aesthetic needs,but also beautify the urban environment and reduce carbon emissions.

Mn-doped topological insulators: a review

Topological insulators (TIs) host robust edge or surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry (TRS), which makes them prime candidates for applications in spintronic devices. A promising avenue of research for the development of functional TI devices has involved doping of three-dimensional (3D) TI thin film and bulk materials with magnetic elements. This approach aims to break the TRS and open a surface band gap near the Dirac point. Utilizing this gapped surface state allows for a wide range of novel physical effects to be observed, paving a way for applications in spintronics and quantum computation. This review focuses on the research of 3D TIs doped with manganese (Mn). We summarize major progress in the study of Mn doped chalcogenide TIs, including Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3, and Bi2(Te,Se)3. The transport properties, in particular the anomalous Hall effect, of the Mn-doped Bi2Se3 are discussed in detail. Finally, we conclude with future prospects and challenges in further studies of Mn doped TIs.

Transport properties of topological insulators films and nanowires

The last several years have witnessed the rapid developments in the study and understanding of topological insulators. In this review, after a brief summary of the history of topological insulators, we focus on the recent progress made in transport experiments on topological insulator films and nanowires. Some quantum phenomena, including the weak antilocalization, the Aharonov-Bobm effect, and the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations, observed in these nanostructures are described. In addition, the electronic transport evidence of the superconducting proximity effect as well as an anomalous resistance enhancement in topological insulator/superconductor hybrid structures is included.

Molecular-beam epitaxy of topological insulator Bi_2Se_3(111) and (221) thin films

This paper presents an overview of the growth of Bi2Se3, a prototypical three-dimensional topological insulator, by molecular-beam epitaxy on various substrates. Comparison is made between the growth of Bi2 Se3 （111） on van der Waals （vdW） and non-vdW substrates, with attention paid to twin suppression and strain. Growth along the [221] direction of Bi2Se3 on InP （001） and GaAs （001） substrates is also discussed.

Topological edge states and electronic structures of a 2D topological insulator: Single-bilayer Bi (111)

Providing the strong spin-orbital interaction, Bismuth is the key element in the family of three-dimensional topological insulators. At the same time, Bismuth itself also has very unusual behavior, existing from the thinnest unit to bulk crystals. Ultrathin Bi （111） bilayers have been theoretically proposed as a two-dimensional topological insulator. The related experimental realization achieved only recently, by growing Bi （111） ultrathin bilayers on topological insulator Bi2Te3 or Bi2Se3 substrates. In this review, we started from the growth mode of Bi （111） bilayers and reviewed our recent progress in the studies of the electronic structures and the one-dimensional topological edge states using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy （STM/STS）, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy （ARPES）, and first principles calculations.

Tunable Weyl fermions and Fermi arcs in magnetized topological crystalline insulators

Based on k · 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 the Fermi arcs.

Probing the minigap in topological insulator-based Josephson junctions under radio frequency irradiation

Recently,a contact-resistance-measurement method was developed to detect the minigap,hence the Andreev bound states(ABSs),in Josephson junctions constructed on the surface of three-dimensional topological insulators(3D TIs).In this work,we further generalize that method to the circumstance with radio frequency(rf)irradiation.We find that with the increase of the rf power,the measured minigap becomes broadened and extends to higher energies in a way similar to the rf power dependence of the outer border of the Shapiro step region.We show that the corresponding data of contact resistance under rf irradiation can be well interpreted by using the resistively shunted Josephson junction(RSJ)model and the Blonder–Tinkham–Klapwijk(BTK)theory.Our findings could be useful when using the contact-resistancemeasurement method to study the Majorana-related physics in topological insulator-based Josephson junctions under rf irradiation.

The preparation process and feature of the topological insulator Bi_2Te_3

Topological insulators are insulating in the bulkbut have metallic surface states. Its unique physicochemicalproperties can find numerous applications in electronics,spintronics, photonics, the energy sciences, and thesignal control of transportation. We report an experimentalapproach to synthesize the high-quality single crystal oftopological insulator Bi2Te3 by using self-flux method. Weobtained the optimal preparation conditions by adjustingthe parameters of heat treatment, and successfully preparedthe single-crystal Bi2Te3 sample. The as-grown sampleshave a surface with bright metallic luster and are soft andfragile. Furthermore, Bi2Te3 has the obvious layer structurefrom SEM results. The data of X-ray diffraction andscanning electron microscope show that Bi2Te3 singlecrystal grows along the c-axis with the order of Te（1）–Bi–Te（2）–Bi–Te（1） and crystallizes in the hexagonal systemwith space group of R/3 m. The q–T curve shows that qdecreases with temperature, showing metallic behaviorover the whole temperature range.

MoS_(2) on topological insulator Bi_(2)Te_(3) thin films:Activation of the basal plane for hydrogen reduction

2H-MoS_(2) is a well-studied and promising non-noble metal electrocatalyst for heterogeneous reactions,such as the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).The performance is largely limited by the chemically inert basal plane,which is unfavorable for surface adsorption and reactions.Herein,we report a facile method to boost the HER activities of 2H-MoS_(2) by coupling with epitaxial Bi2Te3 topological insulator films.The as-obtained MoS_(2)/Bi2Te3/SrTiO3 catalyst exhibits prominent HER catalytic activities compared to that of pure MoS_(2) structures,with a 189 mV decrease in the overpotential required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^(−2) and a low Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1.Theoretical investigations suggest that the enhanced catalytic activity originates from the charge redistribution at the interface between the Bi2Te3topological insulator films and the MoS_(2) layer.The delocalized sp-derived topological surface states could denote electrons to the MoS_(2) layer and activate the basal plane for hydrogen adsorption.This study demonstrates the potential of manipulating topological surface states to design high-performance electrocatalysts.