Weak localization and weak anti-localization in topological insulators

Abstract

Weak localization and weak anti-localization are quantum interference effects in quantum transport in a disordered electron system. Weak anti-localization enhances the conductivity and weak localization suppresses the conductivity with decreasing temperature at very low temperatures. A magnetic field can destroy the quantum interference effect, giving rise to a cusp-like positive and negative magnetoconductivity as the signatures of weak localization and weak anti-localization, respectively. These effects have been widely observed in topological insulators. In this article, we review recent progresses in both theory and experiment of weak (anti-)localization in topological insulators, where the quasiparticles are described as Dirac fermions. We predicted a crossover from weak anti-localization to weak localization if the massless Dirac fermions (such as the surface states of topological insulator) acquire a Dirac mass, which was confirmed experimentally. The bulk states in a topological insulator thin film can exhibit the weak localization effect, quite different from other system with strong spin-orbit interaction. We compare the localization behaviors of Dirac fermions with conventional electron systems in the presence of disorders of different symmetries. Finally, we show that both the interaction and quantum interference are required to account for the experimentally observed temperature and magnetic field dependence of the conductivity at low temperatures.

Invited article, 11 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables

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Cited by in corpus (19)

• Quantum Transport in Topological Semimetals under Magnetic Fields
• Weak Localization and Antilocalization in Topological Materials with Impurity Spin-Orbit Interactions
• Comprehensive Analysis for the High Field Magneto-conductivity of Bi2Te3 Single Crystal
• Anomalous Hall Coulomb drag of massive Dirac fermions
• Absence of strong localization at low conductivity in the topological surface state of low disorder Sb2Te3
• Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy on Magnetic Van der Waals Compounds
• High Field Magneto-Transport of Mixed Topological Insulators Bi2Se3-xTex (x = 0, 1, 2 & 3)
• Transport properties of band engineered p-n heterostructures of epitaxial Bi${}_2$Se${}_3$/(Bi${}_{1-x}$Sb${}_x$)${}_2$(Te${}_{1-y}$Se${}_y$)${}_3$ topological insulators
• Coulomb drag in topological materials
• Anomalous Temperature Dependence of Quantum Correction to the Conductivity of Magnetic Topological Insulators
• Superconductivity and weak anti-localization in nodal-line semimetal SnTaS_2
• Surface states induced weak anti-localization effect in Bi0.85Sb0.15 topological single crystal
• Weyl points and anomalous transport effects tuned by the Fe doping in Mn${}_3$Ge Weyl semimetal
• Magneto transport and first principle study of strong topological insulator gray Arsenic
• Effects of disorder on the quantum transport properties in topologically nontrivial metal PbTaSe${}_2$
• Large positive magnetoconductance in carbon nanoscrolls
• Charge qubits based on ultra-thin topological insulator films
• Sb doping effect on transport behavior in the topological insulator Bi2Se3
• Current response of a topological insulator to a static Zeeman field