We gratefully acknowledge support from
the Simons Foundation and member institutions.
Full-text links:

Download:

Current browse context:

cond-mat.mes-hall

Change to browse by:

References & Citations

Bookmark

(what is this?)
CiteULike logo BibSonomy logo Mendeley logo del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo

Condensed Matter > Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Title: High spin axion insulator

Abstract: Axion insulators possess a quantized axion field $\theta=\pi$ protected by combined lattice and time-reversal symmetry, holding great potential for device applications in layertronics and quantum computing. Here, we propose a high-spin axion insulator (HSAI) defined in large spin-$s$ representation, which maintains the same inherent symmetry but possesses a notable axion field $\theta=(s+1/2)^2\pi$. Such distinct axion field is confirmed independently by the direct calculation of the axion term using hybrid Wannier functions, layer-resolved Chern numbers, as well as the topological magneto-electric effect. We show that the guaranteed gapless quasi-particle excitation is absent at the boundary of the HSAI despite its integer surface Chern number, hinting an unusual quantum anomaly violating the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence. Furthermore, we ascertain that the axion field $\theta$ can be precisely tuned through an external magnetic field, enabling the manipulation of bonded transport properties. The HSAI proposed here can be experimentally verified in ultra-cold atoms by the quantized non-reciprocal conductance or topological magnetoelectric response. Our work enriches the understanding of axion insulators in condensed matter physics, paving the way for future device applications.
Comments: To appear in Nature Communications
Subjects: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Cite as: arXiv:2404.12345 [cond-mat.mes-hall]
  (or arXiv:2404.12345v1 [cond-mat.mes-hall] for this version)

Submission history

From: Yu-Hang Li [view email]
[v1] Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:20:16 GMT (9850kb,D)

Link back to: arXiv, form interface, contact.