Time-reversal-symmetric topological magnetoelectric effect in three-dimensional topological insulators

Abstract

One of the hallmarks of time-reversal-symmetric topological insulators in three dimensions is the topological magnetoelectric effect (TME). So far, a time-reversal breaking variant of this effect has attracted much attention, in the sense that the induced electric charge changes sign when the direction of an externally applied magnetic field is reversed. Theoretically, this effect is described by the so-called axion term. Here, we discuss a time-reversal-symmetric TME, where the electric charge depends only on the magnitude of the magnetic field but is independent of its sign. We obtain this nonperturbative result by a combination of analytic and numerical arguments, and suggest a mesoscopic setup to demonstrate it experimentally.

arXiv comment5+6 pages, 4+4 figures. v2 improved presentation, close to published version

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Cited by in corpus (12)

• Topological axion states in magnetic insulator MnBi${}_2$Te${}_4$ with the quantized magnetoelectric effect
• Large dynamical axion field in topological antiferromagnetic insulator Mn${}_2$Bi${}_2$Te${}_5$
• Orbital magnetoelectric effect in zigzag nanoribbons of p-band systems
• Anisotropic topological magnetoelectric effect in axion insulators
• Tunable dynamical magnetoelectric effect in antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi${}_2$Te${}_4$ films
• Spherical topological-insulator nanoparticles: Quantum size effects and optical transitions
• Axionic surface wave in dynamical axion insulators
• Topological Magnetoelectric Effect: Nonlinear Time-Reversal-Symmetric Response, Witten Effect, and Half-Integer Quantum Hall Effect
• Finite-size effects in cylindrical topological insulators
• Dynamical magnetoelectric coupling in axion insulator thin films
• Orbital Magnetization under an Electric Field and Orbital Magnetoelectric Polarizabilty for a Bilayer Chern System
• Anti-commutative dynamical magneto-electric response in certain solid state materials