Engineering second-order topological insulators via coupling two first-order topological insulators

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Hauptverfasser: Liu, Lizhou, An, Jiaqi, Ren, Yafei, Zhang, Yingtao, Qiao, Zhenhua, Niu, Qian
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Liu, Lizhou
An, Jiaqi
Ren, Yafei
Zhang, Yingtao
Qiao, Zhenhua
Niu, Qian
author_facet Liu, Lizhou
An, Jiaqi
Ren, Yafei
Zhang, Yingtao
Qiao, Zhenhua
Niu, Qian
contents We theoretically investigate the engineering of two-dimensional second-order topological insulators with corner states by coupling two first-order topological insulators. We find that the interlayer coupling between two topological insulators with opposite topological invariants results in the formation of edge-state gaps, which are essential for the emergence of the corner states. Using the effective Hamiltonian framework, We elucidate that the formation of topological corner states requires either the preservation of symmetry in the crystal system or effective mass countersigns for neighboring edge states. Our proposed strategy for inducing corner state through interlayer coupling is versatile and applicable to both $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulators and quantum anomalous Hall effects. We demonstrate this approach using several representative models including the seminal Kane-Mele model, the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model, and the Rashba graphene model to explicitly exhibit the formation of corner states via interlater coupling. Moreover, we also observe that the stacking of the coupled $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulating systems results in the formation of the time-reversal invariant three-dimensional second-order nodal ring semimetals. Remarkably, the three-dimensional system from the stacking of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model can be transformed into second-order Dirac semimetals, characterized by one-dimensional hinge Fermi arcs. Our strategy of engineering second-order topological phases via simple interlayer coupling promises to advance the exploration of higher-order topological insulators in two-dimensional spinful systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_01037
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Engineering second-order topological insulators via coupling two first-order topological insulators
Liu, Lizhou
An, Jiaqi
Ren, Yafei
Zhang, Yingtao
Qiao, Zhenhua
Niu, Qian
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
We theoretically investigate the engineering of two-dimensional second-order topological insulators with corner states by coupling two first-order topological insulators. We find that the interlayer coupling between two topological insulators with opposite topological invariants results in the formation of edge-state gaps, which are essential for the emergence of the corner states. Using the effective Hamiltonian framework, We elucidate that the formation of topological corner states requires either the preservation of symmetry in the crystal system or effective mass countersigns for neighboring edge states. Our proposed strategy for inducing corner state through interlayer coupling is versatile and applicable to both $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulators and quantum anomalous Hall effects. We demonstrate this approach using several representative models including the seminal Kane-Mele model, the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model, and the Rashba graphene model to explicitly exhibit the formation of corner states via interlater coupling. Moreover, we also observe that the stacking of the coupled $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological insulating systems results in the formation of the time-reversal invariant three-dimensional second-order nodal ring semimetals. Remarkably, the three-dimensional system from the stacking of the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model can be transformed into second-order Dirac semimetals, characterized by one-dimensional hinge Fermi arcs. Our strategy of engineering second-order topological phases via simple interlayer coupling promises to advance the exploration of higher-order topological insulators in two-dimensional spinful systems.
title Engineering second-order topological insulators via coupling two first-order topological insulators
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.01037