Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Scaling behavior of the quantum phase transition from a quantum-anomalous-Hall insulator to an axion insulator

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [5];  [5];  [2]
  1. Peking Univ., Beijing (China); Pennsylvania State University
  2. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  3. Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China)
  4. Peking Univ., Beijing (China)
  5. Peking Univ., Beijing (China); Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (China); Univ. of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The phase transitions from one plateau to the next plateau or to an insulator in quantum Hall and quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) systems have revealed universal scaling behaviors. A magnetic-field-driven quantum phase transition from a QAH insulator to an axion insulator was recently demonstrated in magnetic topological insulator sandwich samples. Here, we show that the temperature dependence of the derivative of the longitudinal resistance on magnetic field at the transition point follows a characteristic power-law that indicates a universal scaling behavior for the QAH to axion insulator phase transition. Similar to the quantum Hall plateau to plateau transition, the QAH to axion insulator transition can also be understood by the Chalker–Coddington network model. We extract a critical exponent κ ~ 0.38 ± 0.02 in agreement with recent high-precision numerical results on the correlation length exponent of the Chalker–Coddington model at ν ~ 2.6, rather than the generally-accepted value of 2.33.
Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
NSF; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0019064
OSTI ID:
1783185
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 11; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (49)

Enhancing the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect by Magnetic Codoping in a Topological Insulator journal November 2017
One-parameter scaling in the lowest Landau band journal August 1990
Wave function multifractality and dephasing at metal–insulator and quantum Hall transitions journal June 2011
The integer quantum Hall plateau transition is a current algebra after all journal April 2019
Coherence length saturation at the low temperature limit in two-dimensional hole gas journal May 2018
High-precision realization of robust quantum anomalous Hall state in a hard ferromagnetic topological insulator journal March 2015
Robust axion insulator and Chern insulator phases in a two-dimensional antiferromagnetic topological insulator journal January 2020
Percolation, quantum tunnelling and the integer Hall effect journal May 1988
Localization, percolation, and the quantum Hall effect journal June 1983
Experiments on scaling in Al x Ga 1 − x As/GaAs heterostructures under quantum Hall conditions journal March 1991
Effect of long-range potential fluctuations on scaling in the integer quantum Hall effect journal February 1992
Experimental studies of the localization transition in the quantum Hall regime journal July 1992
Integer quantum Hall transition: An alternative approach and exact results journal September 1994
Models for the integer quantum Hall effect: The network model, the Dirac equation, and a tight-binding Hamiltonian journal September 1996
Giant magnetoresistance and quantum phase transitions in strongly localized magnetic two-dimensional electron gases journal August 1998
Short-range interactions and scaling near integer quantum Hall transitions journal March 2000
Critical exponent for the quantum Hall transition journal July 2009
Scaling properties of the plateau transitions in the two-dimensional hole gas system journal February 2016
Topological quantum phase transition in magnetic topological insulator upon magnetization rotation journal October 2018
Scaling in Plateau-to-Plateau Transition: A Direct Connection of Quantum Hall Systems with the Anderson Localization Model journal May 2009
Numerical Study of the Localization Length Critical Index in a Network Model of Plateau-Plateau Transitions in the Quantum Hall Effect journal August 2011
Finite-Size Effects and Irrelevant Corrections to Scaling Near the Integer Quantum Hall Transition journal November 2012
Zero-Field Dissipationless Chiral Edge Transport and the Nature of Dissipation in the Quantum Anomalous Hall State journal July 2015
Observation of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator to Anderson Insulator Quantum Phase Transition and its Scaling Behavior journal September 2016
Realization of the Axion Insulator State in Quantum Anomalous Hall Sandwich Heterostructures journal January 2018
Effects of Random Domains on the Zero Hall Plateau in the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect journal January 2019
New Method for High-Accuracy Determination of the Fine-Structure Constant Based on Quantized Hall Resistance journal August 1980
Experiments on Delocalization and University in the Integral Quantum Hall Effect journal September 1988
Universal Singularities in the Integral Quantum Hall Effect journal September 1988
Model for a Quantum Hall Effect without Landau Levels: Condensed-Matter Realization of the "Parity Anomaly" journal October 1988
Size-dependent analysis of the metal-insulator transition in the integral quantum Hall effect journal August 1991
Coulomb gaps in a strong magnetic field journal June 1993
Quantum percolation and plateau transitions in the quantum Hall effect journal June 1993
Observation of magnetic-field-induced delocalization: Transition from Anderson insulator to quantum Hall conductor journal August 1993
Magnetic-field-induced metal-insulator transition in two dimensions journal January 1994
Universal Conductivity at the Quantum Hall Liquid to Insulator Transition journal May 1995
Effects of Electron-Electron Interactions on the Integer Quantum Hall Transitions journal May 1996
New Universality at the Magnetic Field Driven Insulator to Integer Quantum Hall Effect Transitions journal March 1997
A Different View of the Quantum Hall Plateau-to-Plateau Transitions journal July 1997
Probing the Plateau-Insulator Quantum Phase Transition in the Quantum Hall Regime journal February 2000
Metallic Phase in Quantum Hall Systems due to Inter-Landau-Band Mixing journal November 2001
Scaling and Universality of Integer Quantum Hall Plateau-to-Plateau Transitions journal May 2005
The Anderson-Mott transition journal April 1994
Scaling theory of the integer quantum Hall effect journal April 1995
Continuous quantum phase transitions journal January 1997
Tailoring tricolor structure of magnetic topological insulator for robust axion insulator journal October 2017
Quantized Anomalous Hall Effect in Magnetic Topological Insulators journal June 2010
Experimental Observation of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in a Magnetic Topological Insulator journal March 2013
Experiments on the Critical Exponent of Localization in Landau Subbands with the Landau Quantum Numbers 0 and 1 in Si-MOS Inversion Layers journal June 1989

Similar Records

Quantized resistance revealed at the criticality of the quantum anomalous Hall phase transitions
Journal Article · Fri Sep 08 20:00:00 EDT 2023 · Nature Communications · OSTI ID:2421732
Zero Magnetic Field Plateau Phase Transition in Higher Chern Number Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulators
Journal Article · Thu May 26 20:00:00 EDT 2022 · Physical Review Letters · OSTI ID:1980285
Observation of the Quantum Anomalous Hall Insulator to Anderson Insulator Quantum Phase Transition and its Scaling Behavior
Journal Article · Tue Sep 13 20:00:00 EDT 2016 · Physical Review Letters · OSTI ID:1489117

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
Phase transitions and critical phenomena
Quantum Hall
Topological insulators