English

Topological insulators with SU(2) Landau levels

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2013-11-01 v3 High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We construct continuum models of 3D and 4D topological insulators by coupling spin-1/2 fermions to an SU(2) background gauge field, which is equivalent to a spatially dependent spin-orbit coupling. Higher dimensional generalizations of flat Landau levels are obtained in the Landau-like gauge. The 2D helical Dirac modes with opposite helicities and 3D Weyl modes with opposite chiralities are spatially separated along the third and fourth dimensions, respectively. Stable 2D helical Fermi surfaces and 3D chiral Fermi surfaces appear on open boundaries, respectively. The charge pumping in 4D Landau level systems shows quantized 4D quantum Hall effect.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1208.1562,
  title  = {Topological insulators with SU(2) Landau levels},
  author = {Yi Li and Shou-Cheng Zhang and Congjun Wu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1208.1562},
  year   = {2013}
}

Comments

Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett