Observation and control of the weak topological insulator state in ZrTe5

Peng Zhang (), Ryo Noguchi, Kenta Kuroda, Chun Lin, Kaishu Kawaguchi, Koichiro Yaji, Ayumi Harasawa, Mikk Lippmaa, Simin Nie, Hongming Weng, V. Kandyba, A. Giampietri, A. Barinov, Qiang Li, G. D. Gu, Shik Shin and Takeshi Kondo ()
Additional contact information
Peng Zhang: University of Tokyo
Ryo Noguchi: University of Tokyo
Kenta Kuroda: University of Tokyo
Chun Lin: University of Tokyo
Kaishu Kawaguchi: University of Tokyo
Koichiro Yaji: National Institute for Materials Science
Ayumi Harasawa: University of Tokyo
Mikk Lippmaa: University of Tokyo
Simin Nie: Stanford University
Hongming Weng: Chinese Academy of Sciences
V. Kandyba: Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste
A. Giampietri: Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste
A. Barinov: Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste
Qiang Li: Stony Brook University
G. D. Gu: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Shik Shin: University of Tokyo
Takeshi Kondo: University of Tokyo

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract A quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator hosts topological states at the one-dimensional (1D) edge, along which backscattering by nonmagnetic impurities is strictly prohibited. Its 3D analogue, a weak topological insulator (WTI), possesses similar quasi-1D topological states confined at side surfaces. The enhanced confinement could provide a route for dissipationless current and better advantages for applications relative to strong topological insulators (STIs). However, the topological side surface is usually not cleavable and is thus hard to observe. Here, we visualize the topological states of the WTI candidate ZrTe5 by spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES): a quasi-1D band with spin-momentum locking was revealed on the side surface. We further demonstrate that the bulk band gap is controlled by external strain, realizing a more stable WTI state or an ideal Dirac semimetal (DS) state. The highly directional spin-current and the tunable band gap in ZrTe5 will provide an excellent platform for applications.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20564-8 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-20564-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20564-8

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().