Separate surface and bulk topological Anderson localization transitions in disordered axion insulators

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Grindall, Cormac, Tyner, Alexander C., Wu, Ang-Kun, Hughes, Taylor L., Pixley, J. H.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Grindall, Cormac
Tyner, Alexander C.
Wu, Ang-Kun
Hughes, Taylor L.
Pixley, J. H.
author_facet Grindall, Cormac
Tyner, Alexander C.
Wu, Ang-Kun
Hughes, Taylor L.
Pixley, J. H.
contents In topological phases of matter for which the bulk and boundary support distinct electronic gaps, there exists the possibility of decoupled mobility gaps in the presence of disorder. This is in analogy with the well-studied problem of realizing separate or concomitant bulk-boundary criticality in conventional Landau theory. Using a three-dimensional axion insulator having clean, gapped surfaces with $e^2/2h$ quantized Hall conductance, we show the bulk and surface mobility gap evolve differently in the presence of disorder. The decoupling of the bulk and surface topology yields a regime that realizes a two-dimensional, unquantized anomalous Hall metal in the Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE), which shares some spectral and response properties akin to the surface states of a conventional three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator. The generality of these results as well as extensions to other insulators and superconductors is discussed.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_16413
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Separate surface and bulk topological Anderson localization transitions in disordered axion insulators
Grindall, Cormac
Tyner, Alexander C.
Wu, Ang-Kun
Hughes, Taylor L.
Pixley, J. H.
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
In topological phases of matter for which the bulk and boundary support distinct electronic gaps, there exists the possibility of decoupled mobility gaps in the presence of disorder. This is in analogy with the well-studied problem of realizing separate or concomitant bulk-boundary criticality in conventional Landau theory. Using a three-dimensional axion insulator having clean, gapped surfaces with $e^2/2h$ quantized Hall conductance, we show the bulk and surface mobility gap evolve differently in the presence of disorder. The decoupling of the bulk and surface topology yields a regime that realizes a two-dimensional, unquantized anomalous Hall metal in the Gaussian unitary ensemble (GUE), which shares some spectral and response properties akin to the surface states of a conventional three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator. The generality of these results as well as extensions to other insulators and superconductors is discussed.
title Separate surface and bulk topological Anderson localization transitions in disordered axion insulators
topic Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.16413