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Abstract:
It is well established that symmetry has an important influence on the
properties of materials, but the topology of electronic states might be
an even more fundamental property. Topological insulators (TIs) are new
states of matter based on the topology in the electronic band structure.
Relativistic effects are the origin of the topologically non-trivial
electronic structure, and the new state of matter has been realized in
two-dimensional quantum well structures and three-dimensional bulk
crystals of heavy elements and compounds. TI materials have an
insulating gap in the bulk, and robust metallic edge/surface states on
the boundary, which is robust against disorder and leads to unique spin
and charge transport properties. Examples of TIs include HgTe/CdTe
quantum wells, Bi-Sb-alloys, Bi2Se3, and half-Heusler compounds.
