One-dimensional Dirac electrons on the surface of weak topological insulators

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Alexander Lau - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Carmine Ortix - , Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Jeroen Van Den Brink - , Professur für Festkörpertheorie (gB/IFW), Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (Autor:in)

Abstract

We show that a class of weak three-dimensional topological insulators feature one-dimensional Dirac electrons on their surfaces. Their hallmark is a linelike energy dispersion along certain directions of the surface Brillouin zone. These one-dimensional Dirac line degeneracies are topologically protected by a symmetry that we refer to as in-plane time-reversal invariance. We show how this invariance leads to Dirac lines in the surface spectrum of stacked Kane-Mele systems and more general models for weak three-dimensional topological insulators.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer085106
FachzeitschriftPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Jahrgang91
Ausgabenummer8
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 11 Feb. 2015
Peer-Review-StatusJa