Numerical Studies of Quantum Transport in Topological Insulator Nanowire - Superconductor Junctions

Numerical Studies of Quantum Transport in Topological Insulator Nanowire - Superconductor Junctions PDF Author: Michael Barth
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Languages : en
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Numerical Studies of Quantum Transport in Topological Insulator Nanowire - Superconductor Junctions

Numerical Studies of Quantum Transport in Topological Insulator Nanowire - Superconductor Junctions PDF Author: Michael Barth
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Quantum Transport in Two-dimensional Topological Systems

Quantum Transport in Two-dimensional Topological Systems PDF Author: Jianxiao Zhang
Publisher:
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Languages : en
Pages :

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The discovery of topological states of matters has sparked intense interests amongresearchers in the past decade. Topologically non-trivial band structure in thesequantum states can give rise to a variety of topological phenomena, the experimentaldemonstration of which can have a huge impact on our understandingof fundamental states of matter. Transport measurement is one of the majorexperimental techniques to probe these topological phenomena. This dissertationis devoted to theoretical and numerical studies of quantum transport phenomenain a variety of topological materials, including magnetic topological insulator films,the quantum anomalous Hall insulator/superconductor hetero-structures, the kinkstates in bilayer graphene and the photonic crystal of topological mirror insulatorphase in the optical regime. The numerical simulations of transport phenomenaand the analytical understanding of the underlying physical mechanism in thisdissertation will provide guidance for the future transport measurements.The numerical methods to simulate quantum transport in this dissertation arebased on Landauer-Bttiker formalism and Greens function method, which willbe introduced in Chapter 2. The transmission through certain sample regionscan be extracted from the Greens function method and serves as the input forthe Landauer-Bttiker formalism to compute conductance tensor that is directlymeasured in transport experiments. Physical understanding of the transportmechanism can be provided by analyzing different components of the transmissionmatrix, in combination with other analytical methods for transport phenomena.Defects and impurities can be incorporated in numerical simulations by includingrandom potentials into the model Hamiltonian, and thus this method can be appliedin different transport regimes, from ballistic to diffusive transport.Chapter 3 to 5 of the dissertation is to apply the above numerical methodsto three different topological mesoscopic systems: magnetic topological insulator(MTI) films, quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) - superconductor (SC)junctions, and bilayer graphene devices.Chapter 3 is dedicated to the study of quantum transport through magnetictextures in a thin film of MTI. We focus on both the longitudinal and Hall transports,which reveal complicated features due to the coexistence of strong spin-orbit couplingfrom TI materials and magnetic non-colinearity from magnetic textures in thissystem. The manifested Hall transport can be induced by different topologicalmechanisms, including the intrinsic anomalous Hall effect from strong SOC and thetopological Hall effect (or known as geometric Hall effect) from magnetic textures.Thus, this system provides a nice platform to understand the interplay betweenspin-orbit coupling and real-space magnetic texture, as well as disorder scatterings.Our numerical simulations have shown different roles of spin-orbit coupling in theclean and disordered limits for this system. In the clean limit when SOC strengthis increased, the topological Hall conductance (THC) almost remains constant butthe topological Hall resistance (THR) can increase by an order of magnitude dueto the reduction of longitudinal conductance, caused by SOC-induced spin flips.However, in the disordered limit, both the THC and THR increase with increasingSOC, while longitudinal conductance is not influenced much by SOC.In Chapter 4, we study the transport of chiral edge channels in a QAHI/superconductorjunction. This type of hetero-junction has been recently fabricated andmeasured in experiments, in pursue of topological superconductivity and Majoranafermions. We focus on the disorder effect in the weak superconductor proximitylimit. Our results show that the quantized valued of conductance remains robustfor a single chiral edge channel even in the presence of disorder in the zero-biaslimit. However, such quantization is broken down for a finite bias, or for multiplechiral edge modes, or for the coexistence of a single chiral edge mode with othertrivial metallic modes, when disorders are present. Our theory provides guidanceto understand transport phenomena in these systems for future experiments.Chapter 5 is a simulation of transport behaviors through the so-called kinkstates in a bilayer graphene device under external electric and magnetic fields. Thedevice, known as a valley valve and electron beam splitter, has been fabricatedby our experimental collaborators and its unusual transport properties have beenmeasured experimentally. Our numerical simulations provide a justification of theguiding center physical picture for topological transport through this device.Chapter 6 goes beyond electronic systems and concerns topological phase inphotonic systems. We utilize a method of dynamic evolution of states to studya topological crystalline insulator phase in a photonic system. The crystallineprotection, achieved by the fine manufacturing of emulated atoms in a photoniclattice, selectively pumps incident states with a certain parity while reflects theother.The studies in the dissertation are in close collaboration with experimentalgroups, including Prof. Moses Chans and Prof. Cui-zu Changs group for the transportmeasurements in MTI films and QAHI/SC junctions, Prof. Jun Zhus groupfor the experiments on the bilayer graphene device, and Prof. Mikael Rechtsmansgroup for the photonic topological systems.

Topological Insulators

Topological Insulators PDF Author: Gregory Tkachov
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9814613266
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
This book is the result of dynamic developments that have occurred in condensed matter physics after the recent discovery of a new class of electronic materials: topological insulators. A topological insulator is a material that behaves as a band insulator in its interior, while acting as a metallic conductor at its surface. The surface current car

Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors

Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors PDF Author: B. Andrei Bernevig
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 069115175X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
"The book begins with simple concepts such as Berry phases, Dirac fermions, Hall conductance and its link to topology, and the Hofstadter problem of lattice electrons in a magnetic field. It moves on to explain topological phases of matter such as Chern insulators, two- and three-dimensional topological insulators, and Majorana p-wave wires. Additionally, the book covers zero modes on vortices in topological superconductors, time-reversal topological superconductors, and topological responses/field theory and topological indices. The book also analyzes recent topics in condensed matter theory and concludes by surveying active subfields of research such as insulators with point-group symmetries and the stability of topological semimetals. Problems at the end of each chapter offer opportunities to test knowledge..."--

Advanced Topological Insulators

Advanced Topological Insulators PDF Author: Huixia Luo
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119407338
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 431

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Book Description
This book is the first pedagogical synthesis of the field of topological insulators and superconductors, one of the most exciting areas of research in condensed matter physics. Presenting the latest developments, while providing all the calculations necessary for a self-contained and complete description of the discipline, it is ideal for researchers and graduate students preparing to work in this area, and it will be an essential reference both within and outside the classroom. The book begins with the fundamental description on the topological phases of matter such as one, two- and three-dimensional topological insulators, and methods and tools for topological material's investigations, topological insulators for advanced optoelectronic devices, topological superconductors, saturable absorber and in plasmonic devices. Advanced Topological Insulators provides researchers and graduate students with the physical understanding and mathematical tools needed to embark on research in this rapidly evolving field.

Superconductivity in Nanowires

Superconductivity in Nanowires PDF Author: Alexey Bezryadin
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527651950
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
The importance and actuality of nanotechnology is unabated and will be for years to come. A main challenge is to understand the various properties of certain nanostructures, and how to generate structures with specific properties for use in actual applications in Electrical Engineering and Medicine. One of the most important structures are nanowires, in particular superconducting ones. They are highly promising for future electronics, transporting current without resistance and at scales of a few nanometers. To fabricate wires to certain defined standards however, is a major challenge, and so is the investigation and understanding of these properties in the first place. A promising approach is to use carbon nanotubes as well as DNA structures as templates. Many fundamental theoretical questions are still unanswered, e.g. related to the role of quantum fluctuations. This work is tackling them and provides a detailed analysis of the transport properties of such ultrathin wires. It presents an account of theoretical models, charge transport experiments, and also conveys the latest experimental findings regarding fabrication, measurements, and theoretical analysis. In particular, it is the only available resource for the approach of using DNA and carbon nanotubes for nanowire fabrication. It is intended for graduate students and young researchers interested in nanoscale superconductivity. The readers are assumed to have knowledge of the basics of quantum mechanics and superconductivity.

Topological Insulators

Topological Insulators PDF Author: Shun-Qing Shen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364232858X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Topological insulators are insulating in the bulk, but process metallic states present around its boundary owing to the topological origin of the band structure. The metallic edge or surface states are immune to weak disorder or impurities, and robust against the deformation of the system geometry. This book, the first of its kind on topological insulators, presents a unified description of topological insulators from one to three dimensions based on the modified Dirac equation. A series of solutions of the bound states near the boundary are derived, and the existing conditions of these solutions are described. Topological invariants and their applications to a variety of systems from one-dimensional polyacetalene, to two-dimensional quantum spin Hall effect and p-wave superconductors, and three-dimensional topological insulators and superconductors or superfluids are introduced, helping readers to better understand this fascinating new field. This book is intended for researchers and graduate students working in the field of topological insulators and related areas. Shun-Qing Shen is a Professor at the Department of Physics, the University of Hong Kong, China.

Topological Insulators

Topological Insulators PDF Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0444633189
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
Topological Insulators, volume six in the Contemporary Concepts of Condensed Matter Series, describes the recent revolution in condensed matter physics that occurred in our understanding of crystalline solids. The book chronicles the work done worldwide that led to these discoveries and provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of the field. Starting in 2004, theorists began to explore the effect of topology on the physics of band insulators, a field previously considered well understood. However, the inclusion of topology brings key new elements into this old field. Whereas it was thought that all band insulators are essentially equivalent, the new theory predicts two distinct classes of band insulators in two spatial dimensions and 16 classes in three dimensions. These "topological" insulators exhibit a host of unusual physical properties, including topologically protected gapless surface states and exotic electromagnetic response, previously thought impossible in such systems. Within a short time, this new state of quantum matter, topological insulators, has been discovered experimentally both in 2D thin film structures and in 3D crystals and alloys. It appears that topological insulators are quite common in nature, and there are dozens of confirmed substances that exhibit this behavior. Theoretical and experimental studies of these materials are ongoing with the goal of attaining the fundamental understanding and exploiting them in future practical applications. Usable as a textbook for graduate students and as a reference resource for professionals Includes the most recent discoveries and visions for future technological applications All authors are prominent in the field

Topological Insulators

Topological Insulators PDF Author: Panagiotis Kotetes
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
ISBN: 1681745178
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
This book provides an introduction to topological matter with a focus on insulating bulk systems. A number of prerequisite concepts and tools are first laid out, including the notion of symmetry transformations, the band theory of semiconductors and aspects of electronic transport. The main part of the book discusses realistic models for both time-reversal-preserving and -violating topological insulators, as well as their characteristic responses to external perturbations. Special emphasis is given to the study of the anomalous electric, thermal, and thermoelectric transport properties, the theory of orbital magnetisation, and the polar Kerr effect. The topological models studied throughout this book become unified and generalised by means of the tenfold topological-classification framework and the respective systematic construction of topological invariants. This approach is further extended to topological superconductors and topological semimetals. This book covers a wide range of topics and aims at the transparent presentation of the technical aspects involved. For this purpose, homework problems are also provided in dedicated Hands-on sections. Given its structure and the required background level of the reader, this book is particularly recommended for graduate students or researchers who are new to the field.

Topological Insulators

Topological Insulators PDF Author: Vadim Nemytov
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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"In this thesis we investigate quantum transport properties of topological insulator (TI) Bi2 Se3 from atomistic point of view. TI is a material having an energy gap in its bulk but supporting gapless helical states on its boundary. The helical states have Dirac-like linear energy dispersion continuously crossing the bulk band gap with a spin texture in which the electron spin is locked perpendicular to the electron momentum. The peculiar electronic structure of TI material Bi2 Se3 is due to a strong spin-orbit interaction and is protected by the time reversal symmetry. The thesis consists of two main parts. The first reviews the theory of TI and the second presents our atomistic calculations of electron transport in the Bi2 Se3 material. In the theoretical review of the physics of TI, I follow the literature and attempt to present it in a reasonably accessible manner. The theory of TI is explained in terms of well known physical phenomena including classical and quantum Hall effects, spin-orbit coupling, spin current, and spin-Hall effect. The concept of Berry's phase is then introduced to link with the formal conventionalclassification of TI by the topological Z2 invariants. The entire discussion is within the well known Bloch band theory. In the second part of this thesis, numerical studies of transport properties of Bi2 Se3 are presented. After a brief discussion of the relevant quantum transport theory and the tight binding atomistic model, we present our calculated quantum transport results of Bi2 Se3 films having a trench in the middle. Such a large defect, if on normal conductors, would cause significant back scattering of the carriers. Here, by topological protection of the helical states, back scattering is forbidden due to the spin-momentum locking. Nevertheless, large trenches in the film may cause the helical states on the surface to mix inside the trench, thereby affecting the transmission." --