TY  - JOUR
A1  - Dziom, V.
A1  - Shuvaev, A.
A1  - Pimenov, A.
A1  - Astakhov, G.V.
A1  - Ames, C.
A1  - Bendias, K.
A1  - Böttcher, J.
A1  - Tkachov, G.
A1  - Hankiewicz, E.M.
A1  - Brüne, C.
A1  - Buhmann, H.
A1  - Molenkamp, L.W.
T1  - Observation of the universal magnetoelectric effect in a 3D topological insulator
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - The electrodynamics of topological insulators (TIs) is described by modified Maxwell’s equations, which contain additional terms that couple an electric field to a magnetization and a magnetic field to a polarization of the medium, such that the coupling coefficient is quantized in odd multiples of α/4π per surface. Here we report on the observation of this so-called topological magnetoelectric effect. We use monochromatic terahertz (THz) spectroscopy of TI structures equipped with a semitransparent gate to selectively address surface states. In high external magnetic fields, we observe a universal Faraday rotation angle equal to the fine structure constant α=e\(^{2}\)/2E\(_{0}\)hc (in SI units) when a linearly polarized THz radiation of a certain frequency passes through the two surfaces of a strained HgTe 3D TI. These experiments give insight into axion electrodynamics of TIs and may potentially be used for a metrological definition of the three basic physical constants.
KW  - topological matter
KW  - infrared spectroscopy
KW  - topological insulators
KW  - topological magnetoelectric effect
Y1  - 2017
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170875
VL  - 8
IS  - 15197
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Fuchs, F.
A1  - Stender, B.
A1  - Trupke, M.
A1  - Simin, D.
A1  - Pflaum, J.
A1  - Dyakonov, V.
A1  - Astakhov, G.V.
T1  - Engineering near-infrared single-photon emitters with optically active spins in ultrapure silicon carbide
JF  - Nature Communications
N2  - Vacancy-related centres in silicon carbide are attracting growing attention because of their appealing optical and spin properties. These atomic-scale defects can be created using electron or neutron irradiation; however, their precise engineering has not been demonstrated yet. Here, silicon vacancies are generated in a nuclear reactor and their density is controlled over eight orders of magnitude within an accuracy down to a single vacancy level. An isolated silicon vacancy serves as a near-infrared photostable single-photon emitter, operating even at room temperature. The vacancy spins can be manipulated using an optically detected magnetic resonance technique, and we determine the transition rates and absorption cross-section, describing the intensity-dependent photophysics of these emitters. The on-demand engineering of optically active spins in technologically friendly materials is a crucial step toward implementation of both maser amplifiers, requiring high-density spin ensembles, and qubits based on single spins.
KW  - nuclear magnetic resonance
KW  - coherent control
KW  - 4H
KW  - phosphorus
KW  - qubits
KW  - defects
KW  - entanglement
KW  - room temperature
KW  - vacancy
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148502
VL  - 6
IS  - 7578
ER  -