Search for high order non-Abelian excitations
Topological insulators - materials with strong spin-orbit interaction which results in the bulk band inversion - are characterized by special symmetry protected surface states where spin is locked to electron momentum. These helical states are both a blessing and a curse of TI-based devices, since on one hand they are protected by time-reversal symmetry; on the other hand geometry of protected states cannot be constrained by simple lithographical techniques. There are many applications, though, where selective gapping of surface states will be beneficial, from spintronic devices with disconnected top and bottom surfaces, to the localization of non-Abelian states in TI-based topological superconductors.
