Step-Edge Anomaly in Topological Metals
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910125627801600 |
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| author | Schweizer, Oskar Gali, Virginia Chaou, Adam Y. Lemut, Gal Brouwer, Piet W. Breitkreiz, Maxim |
| author_facet | Schweizer, Oskar Gali, Virginia Chaou, Adam Y. Lemut, Gal Brouwer, Piet W. Breitkreiz, Maxim |
| contents | Bulk-boundary correspondence guarantees the presence of robust, anomalous states on the boundary of topological matter. The edges of a two-dimensional Chern insulator harbor one-dimensional chiral states, which have a conductance $n\, e^2/h$, where $n$ is an integer that is solely determined by the bulk. In this work we show that step edges on the surface of three-dimensional topological metals have a robust conductance $K\, e^2/h$, where $K$ is also fixed by the bulk and assumes non-integer values. We explain this prediction on the basis of the topology of gapless systems, exemplify it on a lattice model, and connect to recent experimental observations of enhanced density of states at step-edges in topological metals. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_11654 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Step-Edge Anomaly in Topological Metals Schweizer, Oskar Gali, Virginia Chaou, Adam Y. Lemut, Gal Brouwer, Piet W. Breitkreiz, Maxim Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics Bulk-boundary correspondence guarantees the presence of robust, anomalous states on the boundary of topological matter. The edges of a two-dimensional Chern insulator harbor one-dimensional chiral states, which have a conductance $n\, e^2/h$, where $n$ is an integer that is solely determined by the bulk. In this work we show that step edges on the surface of three-dimensional topological metals have a robust conductance $K\, e^2/h$, where $K$ is also fixed by the bulk and assumes non-integer values. We explain this prediction on the basis of the topology of gapless systems, exemplify it on a lattice model, and connect to recent experimental observations of enhanced density of states at step-edges in topological metals. |
| title | Step-Edge Anomaly in Topological Metals |
| topic | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.11654 |