IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v8y2017i1d10.1038_ncomms14081.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Disorder enabled band structure engineering of a topological insulator surface

Author

Listed:
  • Yishuai Xu

    (New York University)

  • Janet Chiu

    (New York University)

  • Lin Miao

    (New York University
    Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

  • Haowei He

    (New York University)

  • Zhanybek Alpichshev

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Stanford University)

  • A. Kapitulnik

    (Stanford University)

  • Rudro R. Biswas

    (Purdue University)

  • L. Andrew Wray

    (New York University
    NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics at NYU Shanghai)

Abstract

Three-dimensional topological insulators are bulk insulators with Z2 topological electronic order that gives rise to conducting light-like surface states. These surface electrons are exceptionally resistant to localization by non-magnetic disorder, and have been adopted as the basis for a wide range of proposals to achieve new quasiparticle species and device functionality. Recent studies have yielded a surprise by showing that in spite of resisting localization, topological insulator surface electrons can be reshaped by defects into distinctive resonance states. Here we use numerical simulations and scanning tunnelling microscopy data to show that these resonance states have significance well beyond the localized regime usually associated with impurity bands. At native densities in the model Bi2X3 (X=Bi, Te) compounds, defect resonance states are predicted to generate a new quantum basis for an emergent electron gas that supports diffusive electrical transport.

Suggested Citation

  • Yishuai Xu & Janet Chiu & Lin Miao & Haowei He & Zhanybek Alpichshev & A. Kapitulnik & Rudro R. Biswas & L. Andrew Wray, 2017. "Disorder enabled band structure engineering of a topological insulator surface," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-7, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14081
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14081
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14081
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms14081?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14081. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.