Abstract
We consider a metasurface consisting of a square lattice of cylindrical antidots in a two-dimensional topological insulator (2DTI). Each antidot supports a degenerate Kramer's pair of eigenstates formed by the helical topological edge states. We show that the on-site Coulomb repulsion leads to the onset of the Mott insulator phase in the system in a certain range of experimentally relevant parameters. Intrinsic strong spin-orbit coupling characteristic for the 2DTI supports a rich class of the emerging low-energy spin Hamiltonians which can be emulated in the considered system, which makes it an appealing solid state platform for quantum simulations of strongly correlated electron systems.
Highlights
Spin-lattice models are ubiquitous in theoretical physics
An interesting subclass of such models is represented by Compass models (CM), for which the characteristic feature is direction-dependent spin-spin interaction [5]
We show that a square lattice of antidots in 2DTI emulates a quantum spin CM with additional spin-orbit interaction of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) type
Summary
Spin-lattice models are ubiquitous in theoretical physics. Besides their natural applications for the description of the behavior of magnetic systems, a variety of the condensed-matter problems related to high-temperature superconductivity [1], thin superfluid films [2], quantum Hall bilayers [3], and nonlinear optical lattices [4] allow mapping into spin-lattice Hamiltonians. For the closed boundaries, the energy of an edge state is quantized, and for the case of rotational symmetry, the corresponding eigenstates are characterized by specific projections of the orbital and spin angular momentum. We show that a square lattice of antidots in 2DTI emulates a quantum spin CM with additional spin-orbit interaction of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) type.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
