TY - GEN
T1 - Topological insulators
T2 - 2015 IEEE International Magnetics Conference, INTERMAG 2015
AU - Samarth, N.
PY - 2015/7/14
Y1 - 2015/7/14
N2 - The spin-orbit interaction in condensed matter [1] is a key ingredient of contemporary approaches to spintronics [2,3]. These approaches have primarily focused on the 'interior' bulk electronic states of semiconductors and metals with parabolic energy-momentum dispersion. Early theoretical work however showed that in narrow band gap semiconductor heterostructures (derived from (Pb, Sn)Te and (Hg, Cd)Te), the spin-orbit interaction can lead to helical two dimensional (2D) interface states with a massless (linear) Dirac dispersion [4]. Over the past 5 years or so, we have witnessed a rebirth of these concepts in the more contemporary context of 'topological insulators,' driven by the recognition of deep and fundamental connections between surface or edge states and topological invariants [5,6]. In their 2D realization, topological insulators exhibit spin-polarized one-dimensional (1D) edge states [7], while the three-dimensional (3D) versions are characterized by 2D surface states with a spin-textured Dirac cone dispersion [8]. The inherent spin-texture of these electronic states provides a natural route toward 'topological spintronics' by generating an efficient spin-transfer torque [9,10].
AB - The spin-orbit interaction in condensed matter [1] is a key ingredient of contemporary approaches to spintronics [2,3]. These approaches have primarily focused on the 'interior' bulk electronic states of semiconductors and metals with parabolic energy-momentum dispersion. Early theoretical work however showed that in narrow band gap semiconductor heterostructures (derived from (Pb, Sn)Te and (Hg, Cd)Te), the spin-orbit interaction can lead to helical two dimensional (2D) interface states with a massless (linear) Dirac dispersion [4]. Over the past 5 years or so, we have witnessed a rebirth of these concepts in the more contemporary context of 'topological insulators,' driven by the recognition of deep and fundamental connections between surface or edge states and topological invariants [5,6]. In their 2D realization, topological insulators exhibit spin-polarized one-dimensional (1D) edge states [7], while the three-dimensional (3D) versions are characterized by 2D surface states with a spin-textured Dirac cone dispersion [8]. The inherent spin-texture of these electronic states provides a natural route toward 'topological spintronics' by generating an efficient spin-transfer torque [9,10].
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U2 - 10.1109/INTMAG.2015.7157806
DO - 10.1109/INTMAG.2015.7157806
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84942474249
T3 - 2015 IEEE International Magnetics Conference, INTERMAG 2015
BT - 2015 IEEE International Magnetics Conference, INTERMAG 2015
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Y2 - 11 May 2015 through 15 May 2015
ER -