Topological quantum phase transition from mirror to time reversal symmetry protected topological insulator

Partha S. Mandal, Gunther Springholz, Valentine V. Volobuev, Ondrej Caha, Andrei Varykhalov, Evangelos Golias, Günther Bauer, Oliver Rader and Jaime Sánchez-Barriga ()
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Partha S. Mandal: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Gunther Springholz: Johannes Kepler Universität
Valentine V. Volobuev: Johannes Kepler Universität
Ondrej Caha: Masaryk University
Andrei Varykhalov: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Evangelos Golias: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Günther Bauer: Johannes Kepler Universität
Oliver Rader: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Jaime Sánchez-Barriga: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Topological insulators constitute a new phase of matter protected by symmetries. Time-reversal symmetry protects strong topological insulators of the Z2 class, which possess an odd number of metallic surface states with dispersion of a Dirac cone. Topological crystalline insulators are merely protected by individual crystal symmetries and exist for an even number of Dirac cones. Here, we demonstrate that Bi-doping of Pb1−x Sn x Se (111) epilayers induces a quantum phase transition from a topological crystalline insulator to a Z2 topological insulator. This occurs because Bi-doping lifts the fourfold valley degeneracy and induces a gap at $$\bar \Gamma $$ Γ ̄ , while the three Dirac cones at the $${\bar{\rm M}}$$ M ̄ points of the surface Brillouin zone remain intact. We interpret this new phase transition as caused by a lattice distortion. Our findings extend the topological phase diagram enormously and make strong topological insulators switchable by distortions or electric fields.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01204-0

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