Collective excitations on a surface of topological insulator

Abstract

We study collective excitations in a helical electron liquid on a surface of three-dimensional topological insulator. Electron in helical liquid obeys Dirac-like equation for massless particless and direction of its spin is strictly determined by its momentum. Due to this spin-momentum locking, collective excitations in the system manifest themselves as coupled charge- and spin-density waves. We develop quantum field-theoretical description of spin-plasmons in helical liquid and study their properties and internal structure. Value of spin polarization arising in the system with excited spin-plasmons is calculated. We also consider the scattering of spin-plasmons on magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities and external potentials, and show that the scattering occurs mainly into two side lobes. Analogies with Dirac electron gas in graphene are discussed.

9 pages, 6 figures

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• Hybrid topological magnon-phonon modes in honeycomb and kagome lattices
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• Quantum Internal Structure of Plasmons
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• Topological Effect of Surface Plasmon Excitation in Gapped Isotropic Topological Insulator Nanowires
• Plasmons in Z2 Topological Insulators
• Control of Plasmons in Topological Insulators via Local Perturbations
• Giant resonant skew scattering of plasma waves in a two-dimensional electron gas
• Dynamical density response and collective modes of topological insulator ultra-thin films
• Anomalous skew scattering of plasmons in a Dirac electron fluid
• Equatorial magnetoplasma waves
• Control of Plasmons in Doped Topological Insulators via Basis Atoms