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Topological edge-state engineering with high-frequency electromagnetic radiation

Mehedi Hasan, Dmitry Yudin, Ivan Iorsh, Olle Eriksson, and Ivan Shelykh
Phys. Rev. B 96, 205127 – Published 15 November 2017

Abstract

We outline here how strong light-matter interaction can be used to induce quantum phase transition between normal and topological phases in two-dimensional topological insulators. We consider the case of a HgTe quantum well, in which band inversion occurs above a critical value of the well thickness, and demonstrate that coupling between electron states and the E field from an off-resonant linearly polarized laser provides a powerful tool to control topological transitions, even for a thickness of the quantum well that is below the critical value. We also show that topological phase properties of the edge states, including their group velocity, can be tuned in a controllable way by changing the intensity of the laser field. These findings open up the possibility for new experimental means with which to investigate topological insulators and shed new light on topological-insulator-based technologies that are under active discussion.

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  • Received 13 February 2017
  • Revised 2 October 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.205127

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Mehedi Hasan1,2, Dmitry Yudin1, Ivan Iorsh1,2, Olle Eriksson3,4, and Ivan Shelykh1,5

  • 1ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
  • 2Division of Physics and Applied Physics, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637371, Singapore
  • 3Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
  • 4School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-701 82 Örebro, Sweden
  • 5Science Institute, University of Iceland, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland

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Issue

Vol. 96, Iss. 20 — 15 November 2017

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