Purdue University

Department of Physics
Condensed Matter Seminar

Search for New Topological Insulator Materials

Friday September 16, 2011

Refreshments are served at 3:00 p.m. in Physics room 242.

Hsin Lin

Northeastern University

http://sites.google.com/site/nilnish/

Topological insulators host a novel quantum phase of electrons which is characterized by topologically protected surface states originating from the effects of spin-orbit and time-reversal symmetries. Despite recent progress, intense world-wide research activity in search of new classes of topological insulators is continuing unabated. This interest is driven by the need for materials with greater structural flexibility and tunability to enable viable applications in spintronics and quantum computing. We have used first-principles band theory computations in combination with angle-resolved photoemission
experiments to successfully predict many new classes of topologically interesting materials, including Bi2Se3 series, the ternary half-Heusler compounds, thallium-based chalcogenides, Li2AgSb-class, GenBi2mTe3m+n family, quaternary chalcogenides,and ternary famatinite compounds. [1-4]

[1] H. Lin, R. S. Markiewicz, L. A. Wray, L. Fu, M. Z. Hasan, and
A. Bansil, Physical Review Letters 105, 036404 (2010).

[2] H. Lin, L. A. Wray, Y. Xia. S. Y. Xu, S. Jia, R. J. Cava,
A. Bansil, and M. Z. Hasan, Nature Materials 9, 546 (2010).

[3] S. Y. Xu, Y. Xia, L. A. Wray, S. Jia, F. Meier, J. H. Dil,
J. Osterwalder, B. Slomski, A. Bansil, H. Lin, R. J. Cava, and
M. Z. Hasan, Science 332, 560-564 (2011).

[4] Y. J. Wang, H. Lin, T. Das, M. Z. Hasan, and A. Bansil,
New J. Phys. 13, 085017 (2011).