Posted in | News | Quantum Physics

Scientists Discover Some Characteristics of Ring-Shaped Topological Insulator Surfaces

Topological insulators behave like insulators at their core and allow good conductivity on their surface. They owe their characteristics to a new quantum state within the material discovered in 2007 and 2009 for 2D and 3D materials, respectively. Scientists studying the surface of ring-shaped, or toric, topological insulators, have just discovered some characteristics that had only previously been confirmed in spheres. Jakson Fonseca from the University Federal of Viçosa, Brazil, and colleagues describe their findings in a paper published in EPJ B. These results could hold considerable potential for applications in electronics. Indeed, this discovery means that the curved surface induces internal fields, called gauge fields, in the electrons carrying the electric charge located at the surface. By contrast, in graphene, similar fiels have been induced by mechanical tensions or defects in the way the carbon atoms are arranged in the one-atom-thick honeycomb lattice.

The authors have investigated whether the particles that carry an electric charge at the surface have characteristics, known as a relativistic massless linear spectrum, in ring-shaped surface geometries. In 2012 a Japanese group provided a partial answer to this question by working on a sphere. To understand what takes place on the surface of the insulator, they used a mathematical approach, based on a method called differential geometry.

In this work, the authors show that the relativistic spectrum remains the same in ring-shaped materials as in spherical ones. Specifically, the authors show that there is a zero energy state on the surface of a ring-shaped topological insulator. They also found that the effect of the curvature leads to a coupling between charge carriers and the variable Gaussian curvature similar to a coupling with a gauge field. This coupling is responsible for two distinct types of quantum mechanical behaviour of the electron spin, called the Berry phase, and a string of magnetic monopoles, induced in the centre of the torus.

The next steps involves investigating further how best to control these mechanisms, which induce gauge fields for surface carriers in topological insulators.

Reference:
J. M. Fonseca, V. L. Carvalho-Santos, W. A. Moura-Melo, and A. R. Pereira (2016), Berry phases and zero-modes in toroidal topological insulators, Eur. Phys. J. B 89: 153, DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2016-70076-8

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Springer - Science and Technology Publishers. (2023, June 13). Scientists Discover Some Characteristics of Ring-Shaped Topological Insulator Surfaces. AZoQuantum. Retrieved on December 11, 2024 from https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=4700.

  • MLA

    Springer - Science and Technology Publishers. "Scientists Discover Some Characteristics of Ring-Shaped Topological Insulator Surfaces". AZoQuantum. 11 December 2024. <https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=4700>.

  • Chicago

    Springer - Science and Technology Publishers. "Scientists Discover Some Characteristics of Ring-Shaped Topological Insulator Surfaces". AZoQuantum. https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=4700. (accessed December 11, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Springer - Science and Technology Publishers. 2023. Scientists Discover Some Characteristics of Ring-Shaped Topological Insulator Surfaces. AZoQuantum, viewed 11 December 2024, https://www.azoquantum.com/News.aspx?newsID=4700.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.