We calculate supercurrent across a two-dimensional topological insulator subjected to an external magnetic field. When the edge states of a narrow two-dimensional topological insulator are hybridized, an external magnetic field can close the hybridization gap, thus driving a quantum phase transition from insulator to semimetal states of the topological insulator. We find a sign reversal of the supercurrent at the quantum phase transition revealing intrinsic properties of topological insulators via Josephson effect.
@article{arxiv.1507.05089,
title = {Supercurrent Reversal in Two-Dimensional Topological Insulators},
author = {Alexander Zyuzin and Mohammad Alidoust and Jelena Klinovaja and Daniel Loss},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1507.05089},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
7 pages, 3 figures. To Appear in Physical Review B