Tunable quantum spin Hall effect in double quantum wells

Abstract

The field of topological insulators (TIs) is rapidly growing. Concerning possible applications, the search for materials with an easily controllable TI phase is a key issue. The quantum spin Hall effect, characterized by a single pair of helical edge modes protected by time-reversal symmetry, has been demonstrated in HgTe-based quantum wells (QWs) with an inverted bandgap. We analyze the topological properties of a generically coupled HgTe-based double QW (DQW) and show how in such a system a TI phase can be driven by an inter-layer bias voltage, even when the individual layers are non-inverted. We argue, that this system allows for similar (layer-)pseudospin based physics as in bilayer graphene but with the crucial absence of a valley degeneracy.

9 pages, 8 figures, extended version (accepted Phys. Rev. B)

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• Coexisting edge states and gapless bulk in topological states of matter
• Kramers pairs of Majorana corner states in a topological insulator bilayer
• Chiral Majorana edge states in HgTe quantum wells
• Spin textures of strongly correlated spin Hall quantum dots
• Helical edge states in multiple topological mass domains
• Two-dimensional topological insulator state in double HgTe quantum well
• Magnetotransport in Double Quantum Well with Inverted Energy Spectrum: HgTe/CdHgTe
• Spin-resolved electron waiting times in a quantum dot spin valve
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• An all electron topological insulator in InAs double wells
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• Circular and Linear Photogalvanic Effects in Type-II GaSb/InAs Quantum Well Structures in the Inverted Regime
• Multiple crossing of Landau levels of two-dimensional fermions in double HgTe quantum wells
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• Stacking-Induced Symmetry-Protected Topological Phase Transitions
• Asymmetric versus symmetric $HgTe/C{\mathrm{d}}_{\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{H}{\mathrm{g}}_{1-\mathrm{x}}\mathrm{Te}$ double quantum wells: Band gap tuning without electric field
• Electrically controlled crossover between $2\pi$- and $4\pi$-Josephson effects through topologically-confined channels in silicene
• Exotic surface states in hybrid structures of topological insulators and Weyl semimetals
• Bias-Voltage-Induced Topological Phase Transition in Finite Size Quantum Spin Hall Systems in the Presence of a Transverse Electric Field
• Double valley Dirac fermions for 3D and 2D Hg${}_{1-x}$Cd${}_x$Te with strong asymmetry
• Interaction-controlled transport in a two-dimensional massless-massive Dirac system: Transition from degenerate to nondegenerate regimes
• Hard wall edge confinement in 2D topological insulators and the energy of the Dirac Point
• Tunable Competing Electronic Orders in Double Quantum Spin Hall Superlattices
• Engineering Majorana Kramers Pairs In Synthetic High Spin Chern Insulators
• Tunable effective length of fractional Josephson junctions
• Strongly Correlated Transport in Topological Y-Junction Devices