We investigate the magnetotransport properties of strained 80 nm thick HgTe layers featuring a high mobility of μ ∼ 4 × 10(5) cm(2)/V · s. By means of a top gate, the Fermi energy is tuned from the ...valence band through the Dirac-type surface states into the conduction band. Magnetotransport measurements allow us to disentangle the different contributions of conduction band electrons, holes, and Dirac electrons to the conductivity. The results are in line with previous claims that strained HgTe is a topological insulator with a bulk gap of ≈ 15 meV and gapless surface states.
Recent topological band theory distinguishes electronic band insulators with respect to various symmetries and topological invariants, most commonly, the time reversal symmetry and the Z_{2} ...invariant. The interface of two topologically distinct insulators hosts a unique class of electronic states-the helical states, which shortcut the gapped bulk and exhibit spin-momentum locking. The magic and so far elusive property of the helical electrons, known as topological protection, prevents them from coherent backscattering as long as the underlying symmetry is preserved. Here we present an experiment that brings to light the strength of topological protection in one-dimensional helical edge states of a Z_{2} quantum spin-Hall insulator in HgTe. At low temperatures, we observe the dramatic impact of a tiny magnetic field, which results in an exponential increase of the resistance accompanied by giant mesoscopic fluctuations and a gap opening. This textbook Anderson localization scenario emerges only upon the time-reversal symmetry breaking, bringing the first direct evidence of the topological protection strength in helical edge states.
Our experimental studies of electron transport in wide (14 nm) HgTe quantum wells confirm the persistence of a two-dimensional topological insulator state reported previously for narrower wells, ...where it was justified theoretically. Comparison of local and nonlocal resistance measurements indicate edge state transport in the samples of about 1 mm size at temperatures below 1 K. Temperature dependence of the resistances suggests an insulating gap of the order of a few meV. In samples with sizes smaller than 10 μm a quasiballistic transport via the edge states is observed.
We measure the quantum capacitance and probe thus directly the electronic density of states of the high mobility, Dirac type two-dimensional electron system, which forms on the surface of strained ...HgTe. Here we show that observed magnetocapacitance oscillations probe-in contrast to magnetotransport-primarily the top surface. Capacitance measurements constitute thus a powerful tool to probe only one topological surface and to reconstruct its Landau level spectrum for different positions of the Fermi energy.
The electronic analog of the Poiseuille flow is the transport in a narrow channel with disordered edges that scatter electrons in a diffuse way. In the hydrodynamic regime, the resistivity decreases ...with temperature, referred to as the Gurzhi effect, distinct from conventional Ohmic behaviour. We studied experimentally an electronic analog of the Stokes flow around a disc immersed in a two-dimensional viscous liquid. The circle obstacle results in an additive contribution to resistivity. If specular boundary conditions apply, it is no longer possible to detect Poiseuille type flow and the Gurzhi effect. However, in flow through a channel with a circular obstacle, the resistivity decreases with temperature. By tuning the temperature, we observed the transport signatures of the ballistic and hydrodynamic regimes on the length scale of disc size. Our experimental results confirm theoretical predictions.
The universal value of the Faraday rotation angle close to the fine structure constant (α≈1/137) is experimentally observed in thin HgTe quantum wells with a thickness on the border between trivial ...insulating and the topologically nontrivial Dirac phases. The quantized value of the Faraday angle remains robust in the broad range of magnetic fields and gate voltages. Dynamic Hall conductivity of the holelike carriers extracted from the analysis of the transmission data shows a theoretically predicted universal value of σ_{xy}=e^{2}/h, which is consistent with the doubly degenerate Dirac state. On shifting the Fermi level by the gate voltage, the effective sign of the charge carriers changes from positive (holes) to negative (electrons). The electronlike part of the dynamic response does not show quantum plateaus and is well described within the classical Drude model.
We report nonlocal electrical measurements in a mesoscopic size two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in a GaAs quantum well in a hydrodynamic regime. Viscous electric flow is expected to be dominant ...when electron-electron collisions occur more often than the impurity or phonon scattering events. We observe a negative nonlocal resistance and attribute it to the formation of whirlpools in the electron flow. We use the different nonlocal transport geometries and compare the results with a theory demonstrating the significance of hydrodynamics in mesoscopic samples.
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