Floquet engineering of axion and high-Chern number phases in a topological insulator under illumination
Mohammad Shafiei, Farhad Fazileh, François M. Peeters, Milorad V. Milošević
SciPost Phys. Core 7, 024 (2024) · published 1 May 2024
- doi: 10.21468/SciPostPhysCore.7.2.024
- Submissions/Reports
Abstract
Quantum anomalous Hall, high-Chern number, and axion phases in topological insulators are characterized by its Chern invariant C (respectively, C=1, integer C>1, and C=0 with half-quantized Hall conductance of opposite signs on top and bottom surfaces). They are of recent interest because of novel fundamental physics and prospective applications, but identifying and controlling these phases has been challenging in practice. Here we show that these states can be created and switched between in thin films of Bi$_2$Se$_3$ by Floquet engineering, using irradiation by circularly polarized light. We present the calculated phase diagrams of encountered topological phases in Bi$_2$Se$_3$, as a function of wavelength and amplitude of light, as well as sample thickness, after properly taking into account the penetration depth of light and the variation of the gap in the surface states. These findings open pathways towards energy-efficient optoelectronics, advanced sensing, quantum information processing and metrology.
Authors / Affiliations: mappings to Contributors and Organizations
See all Organizations.- 1 2 Mohammad Shafiei,
- 2 Farhad Fazileh,
- 1 3 François Maria Peeters,
- 1 Milorad V. Milošević
- 1 Universiteit Antwerpen / University of Antwerp
- 2 دانشگاه صنعتی اصفهان / Isfahan University of Technology [IUT]
- 3 Universidade Federal do Ceará / Federal University of Ceará [UFC]
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) (through Organization: Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen / Research Foundation - Flanders [FWO])
- Isfahan University of Technology
- Universiteit Antwerpen