• search hit 1 of 1
Back to Result List

Unexpected edge conduction in mercury telluride quantum wells under broken time-reversal symmetry

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143185
  • The realization of quantum spin Hall effect in HgTe quantum wells is considered a milestone in the discovery of topological insulators. Quantum spin Hall states are predicted to allow current flow at the edges of an insulating bulk, as demonstrated in various experiments. A key prediction yet to be experimentally verified is the breakdown of the edge conduction under broken time-reversal symmetry. Here we first establish a systematic framework for the magnetic field dependence of electrostatically gated quantum spin Hall devices. We then studyThe realization of quantum spin Hall effect in HgTe quantum wells is considered a milestone in the discovery of topological insulators. Quantum spin Hall states are predicted to allow current flow at the edges of an insulating bulk, as demonstrated in various experiments. A key prediction yet to be experimentally verified is the breakdown of the edge conduction under broken time-reversal symmetry. Here we first establish a systematic framework for the magnetic field dependence of electrostatically gated quantum spin Hall devices. We then study edge conduction of an inverted quantum well device under broken time-reversal symmetry using microwave impedance microscopy, and compare our findings to a noninverted device. At zero magnetic field, only the inverted device shows clear edge conduction in its local conductivity profile, consistent with theory. Surprisingly, the edge conduction persists up to 9 T with little change. This indicates physics beyond simple quantum spin Hall model, including material-specific properties and possibly many-body effects.show moreshow less

Download full text files

Export metadata

Additional Services

Share in Twitter Search Google Scholar Statistics
Metadaten
Author: Eric Yue Ma, M. Reyes Calvo, Jing Wang, Biao Lian, Mathias Mühlbauer, Christoph Brüne, Yong-Tao Cui, Keji Lai, Worasom Kundhikanjana, Yongliang Yang, Matthias Baenninger, Markus König, Christopher Ames, Hartmut Buhmann, Philipp Leubner, Laurens W. Molenkamp, Shou-Cheng Zhang, David Goldhaber-Gordon, Michael A. Kelly, Zhi-Xun Shen
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143185
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie / Physikalisches Institut
Language:English
Parent Title (English):Nature Communications
Year of Completion:2015
Volume:6
Issue:7252
Source:Nature Communications 6:7252 (2015). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8252
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8252
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik
Tag:Hg1-xCdxTe; HgTe; surface states; topological insulators; vacancies
Release Date:2017/11/02
EU-Project number / Contract (GA) number:274769
OpenAIRE:OpenAIRE
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International