Point contacts and localization in generic helical liquids

Abstract

We consider two helical liquids on opposite edges of a narrow two-dimensional topological insulator, which are connected by one or several local tunnel junctions. In the presence of spatially inhomogeneous Rashba spin-orbit coupling, the spin textures of the helical states on opposite edges are different. We demonstrate that this has a strong impact on the electron transport between the edges. In particular, in the case of many random tunnel contacts, the localization length depends strongly on the spin textures of the edge states.

5 pages, 3 figures

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Cited by in corpus (13)

• Non-Abelian parafermions in time-reversal invariant interacting helical systems
• Interacting topological edge channels
• The topological Anderson insulator phase in the Kane-Mele model
• Generic helical edge states due to Rashba spin-orbit coupling in a topological insulator
• Polarized heat current generated by quantum pumping in two-dimensional topological insulators
• Fundamental limits to helical edge conductivity due to spin-phonon scattering
• Effects of disorder on electron tunneling through helical edge states
• Conductance oscillations in quantum point contacts of InAs/GaSb heterostructures
• Transport through a quantum spin Hall antidot as a spectroscopic probe of spin textures
• Backscattering off a driven Rashba impurity at the helical edge
• Tunneling between helical Majorana modes and helical Luttinger liquids
• Interference effects induced by a precessing easy-plane magnet coupled to a helical edge state
• Microwave Photocurrent from the Helical Edge state of InAs/GaInSb Bilayers