A new class of materials called topological insulators (TIs) holds promise for robust counter-propagating spin currents, with potential applications in numerous systems, ranging from spintronics to quantum computing and beyond. TIs exhibit rather unusual behavior in that they are insulating in the bulk but conducting on the surfaces, a result of the topological nature of the electronic wavefunction. Due to the relative novelty of this effect and numerous difficulties in isolating/measuring the surface states, there is not yet a protocol for finding and identifying TIs. However, it is known that TIs often possess heavy metal atoms for strong spin-orbit coupling, a narrow band gap (<0.2 eV) to facilitate band inversion, and lattice symmetry for time-reversal invariance.
A SIP student working on this project would learn the theory and practice behind a variety of materials measurements techniques in order to characterize TIs, as well as help maintain/improve the current UCSC materials database in an effort to keep track of what samples we have available to us and which would be interesting to investigate. Students may then apply their skills to investigate a candidate material of their choosing.
Jennifer Trinh, Graduate Student
Secondary Mentor: Prof. Arthur P Ramirez
Location: 2300 Delaware Avenue, Santa Cruz