Spin texture on the Fermi surface of tensile-strained HgTe

Saad Zaheer, S. M. Young, D. Cellucci, J. C. Y. Teo, C. L. Kane, E. J. Mele, and Andrew M. Rappe
Phys. Rev. B 87, 045202 – Published 3 January 2013

Abstract

We present ab initio and k·p calculations of the spin texture on the Fermi surface of tensile-strained HgTe, which is obtained by stretching the zinc-blende lattice along the (111) axis. Tensile-strained HgTe is a semimetal with pointlike accidental degeneracies between a mirror symmetry protected twofold degenerate band and two nondegenerate bands near the Fermi level. The Fermi surface consists of two ellipsoids which contact at the point where the Fermi level crosses the twofold degenerate band along the (111) axis. However, the spin texture of occupied states indicates that neither ellipsoid carries a compensating Chern number. Consequently, the spin texture is locked in the plane perpendicular to the (111) axis, exhibits a nonzero winding number in that plane, and changes winding number from one end of the Fermi ellipsoids to the other. The change in the winding of the spin texture suggests the existence of singular points. An ordered alloy of HgTe with ZnTe has the same effect as stretching the zinc-blende lattice in the (111) direction. We present ab initio calculations of ordered HgxZn1xTe that confirm the existence of a spin texture locked in a 2D plane on the Fermi surface with different winding numbers on either end.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
1 More
  • Received 4 June 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.87.045202

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Saad Zaheer1, S. M. Young2, D. Cellucci3, J. C. Y. Teo1,*, C. L. Kane1, E. J. Mele1, and Andrew M. Rappe2

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6396, USA
  • 2The Makineni Theoretical Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6323, USA
  • 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA

  • *Present address: Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801-3080, USA.

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 87, Iss. 4 — 15 January 2013

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review B

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×