Engineering an axion insulator phase in superlattices without inversion symmetry

POSTER

Abstract

We study the interplay between magnetism and topology in three-dimensional HgTe/MnTe superlattices stacked along the (001) axis. Our results show the evolution of the magnetic topological phases with respect to the magnetic configurations. An axion insulator phase is observed for the antiferromagnetic order with out-of-plane magnetization direction below a critical thickness of MnTe, which is the ground state amongst all magnetic configurations. The axion insulator phase evolves into a trivial insulator as we increase the thickness of the magnetic layers. By switching the magnetization direction into the $ab$ plane, the system realizes different antiferromagnetic topological insulators depending on the thickness of MnTe.

These phases feature gapless surface Dirac cones shifted away from high-symmetry points. In the presence of ferromagnetism, the system realizes a magnetic Weyl semimetal and a ferromagnetic semimetal for out-of-plane and in-plane magnetization directions, respectively. We observe large anomalous Hall conductivity in the presence of ferromagnetism in the three-dimensional superlattice.

*The work is supported by the Foundation for Polish Science through the International Research Agendas program co-financed by the European Union within the Smart Growth Operational Programme. This work was financially supported by the National Science Center in the framework of the "PRELUDIUM" (Decision No.: DEC-2020/37/N/ST3/02338).

Publication: None

Presenters

  • RAJIBUL ISLAM

    • International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland

Authors

  • RAJIBUL ISLAM

    • International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland

  • Sougata Mardanya

    • Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

  • Alexander Lau

    • International Research Centre MagTop

  • Giuseppe Cuono

    • International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland
    • Polish Academy of Sciences

  • Tay-Rong Chang

    • National Cheng Kung University
    • Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan

  • Mohammad S Bahramy

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PY, United Kingdom
    • The University of Manchester

  • Bahadur Singh

    • Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
    • Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Colaba, Mumbai 400005, India
    • Department of condensed matter physics and material science, Tata institute of fundamental research, Mumbai, India
    • Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India
    • Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

  • Carlo M Canali

    • Linnaeus Univ
    • Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Linnaeus University, 392 31 Kalmar, Sweden
    • Dept. of physics, Linnéuniversitetet

  • Tomasz Dietl

    • International Research Centre MagTop, IFPAN, Warsaw

  • Carmine Autieri

    • International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotnikow 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland
    • International Research Centre MagTop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland
    • Polish Academy of Sciences
    • International Research Centre MagTop