Browse Physics

For sufficiently thin films of topological insulators, the metallic surface states that make these materials interesting become insulating.

Alternating voltages act as a conveyer belt for transporting excitons.

Mercury telluride—a semimetal in bulk—shows signs of becoming a topological insulator under strain.

A new topological insulator that approaches true insulating behavior in the bulk is synthesized.

Photoemission measurements challenge the picture that the electronic states on the surface of the topological insulator Bi2Se3 form a perfect Dirac cone.

The phase coherence time of electrons in certain nanostructures may diverge at very low temperatures.

Microwave illumination of a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas reveals quantum magneto-oscillations in both absorption coefficient and dc resistance.

Random disorder in topological insulators leads to an insulating phase reminiscent of one known for years in two-dimensional systems.

The finding of one-dimensional, topologically protected conducting states on the surface of bismuth suggests the possibility of a quantum spin Hall effect in one dimension.

A new study is looking at how disorder affects the conducting states in a topological insulator—revealing one of many ways these unusual materials are different from conventional insulators.