PIRSA:11110137 Scientific Series Condensed Matter

DOI10.48660/11110137

Series: Quantum Matter

Burkov, A. (2011). Topological Semimetals. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/11110137

Burkov, Anton. Topological Semimetals. Perimeter Institute, Nov. 25, 2011, https://pirsa.org/11110137 

@misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:11110137,
  doi = {10.48660/11110137},
  url = {https://pirsa.org/11110137},
  author = {Burkov, Anton},
  keywords = {Condensed Matter},
  language = {en},
  title = {Topological Semimetals},
  publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
  year = {2011},
  month = {nov},
  note = {PIRSA:11110137 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
}

Abstract

I will describe our recent work on a new topological phase of matter: topological Weyl semimetal. This phase arises in three-dimensional (3D) materials, which are close to a critical point between an ordinary and a topological insulator. Breaking time-reversal symmetry in such materials, for example by doping with sufficient amount of magnetic impurities, leads to the formation of a Weyl semimetal phase, with two (or more) 3D Dirac nodes, separated in momentum space. Such a topological Weyl semimetal possesses chiral edge states and a finite Hall conductivity, proportional to the momentum-space separation of the Dirac nodes, in the absence of any external magnetic field. Weyl semimetal demonstrates a qualitatively different type of topological protection: the protection is provided not by the bulk band gap, as in topological insulators, but by the separation of gapless 3D Dirac nodes in momentum space. I will describe a simple way to engineer such materials using superlattice heterostructures, made of thin films of topological insulators. References: arXiv:1110.1089; Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 127205 (2011); Phys. Rev. B 83, 245428 (2011)."

Resources

Next talk

Related Talks