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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
A three-dimensional (3D) Z2 topological insulator (TI) is a crystalline solid, which is an insulator in the bulk but features spin-polarized Dirac electron states on its surface. In 2007, the first 3D TI was discovered in a bismuth-based compound. The discovery of the first TI tremendously accelerated research into phases of matter characterized by non-trivial topological invariants. Not only did the 3D Z2 TI itself attract great research interest, it also inspired the prediction of a range of new topological phases of matter. The primary examples are the topological Kondo insulator, the topological 3D Dirac and Weyl semimetals, the topological crystalline insulator and the topological superconductor. Each of these phases was predicted to exhibit surface states with unique properties protected by a non-trivial topological invariant. In this talk, I will discuss the experimental realization of these new phases of matter in real materials by momentum and time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The unusual properties of the protected topological surface states can lead to future applications in spintronics and quantum computation, which hold promise to revolutionize our electronics and energy industries.
Host: Mila Adamska