Transport in topological insulator films

ORAL

Abstract

The prediction and the subsequent confirmation of topological insulators is one of the most exciting discoveries in condensed matter physics. In the transport study of topological insulator films, we demonstrate that an excellent agreement between theory and experiment is achieved when both disorder and interaction are taken into account. In addition, measurements under an in-plane magnetic field, along and perpendicular to the bias current show opposite magnetoersistance. Furthermore, Bi2Se3 topological insulator thin films contacted by superconducting (In, Al and W) electrodes show an abrupt resistance upturn when the electrodes become superconducting. Concomitant with the upturn in resistance, there is a significant weakening of the superconductivity of the electrodes.

*This work was financially supported by the Penn State MRSEC under NSF grant DMR-0820404, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11174007), and NBRP of China (No. 2012CB921300).

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Authors

  • Jian Wang

    • International Center for Quantum Materials, Peking University, Beijing 100871

  • Ashley DaSilva

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Meenakshi Singh

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Joon Sue Lee

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Jainendra Jain

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Nitin Samarth

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Moses H.W. Chan

    • The Center for Nanoscale Science and Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

  • Cui-Zu Chang

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

  • Ke He

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

  • Xu-Cun Ma

    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

  • Qi-Kun Xue

    • Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

  • Handong Li

    • Physics Department, The University of Hongkong, Pokfulam Road, Hongkong, China

  • Maohai Xie

    • Physics Department, The University of Hongkong, Pokfulam Road, Hongkong, China