Visualization of an axion insulating state at the transition between 2 chiral quantum anomalous Hall states

Allen, Monica; Cui, Yongtao; Yue Ma, Eric; Mogi, Masataka; Kawamura, Minoru; Fulga, Ion Cosma; Goldhaber-Gordon, David; Tokura, Yoshinori; Shen, Zhi-Xun

doi:10.1073/pnas.1818255116

Title: Visualization of an axion insulating state at the transition between 2 chiral quantum anomalous Hall states

Journal Article · 02 July 2019 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1818255116 · OSTI ID:1546797

Allen, Monica ^[1]; Cui, Yongtao ^[2]; Yue Ma, Eric ^[1]; Mogi, Masataka ^[3]; Kawamura, Minoru ^[4]; Fulga, Ion Cosma ^[5]; Goldhaber-Gordon, David ^[6]; Tokura, Yoshinori ^[7]; Shen, Zhi-Xun ^[6]

Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States)
Univ. of Tokyo (Japan)
RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, Saitama (Japan)
Leibniz Inst. for Solid State and Materials Research (IFW), Dresden (Germany)
Stanford Univ., CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES)
Univ. of Tokyo (Japan); RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, Saitama (Japan)

Quantum-relativistic materials often host electronic phenomena with exotic spatial distributions. In particular, quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulators feature topological boundary currents whose chirality is determined by the magnetization orientation. However, understanding the microscopic nature of edge vs. bulk currents has remained a challenge due to the emergence of multidomain states at the phase transitions. Here we use microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) to directly image chiral edge currents and phase transitions in a magnetic topological insulator. Our images reveal a dramatic change in the edge state structure and an unexpected microwave response at the topological phase transition between the Chern number $N = 1$ and $N = - 1$ states, consistent with the emergence of an insulating $N = 0$ state. The magnetic transition width is independent of film thickness, but the transition pattern is distinct in differently initiated field sweeps. This behavior suggests that the $N = 0$ state has 2 surface states with Hall conductivities of $\frac{1}{2} e^{2} / h$ but with opposite signs.

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Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515; GBMF4546; DMR-1305731

OSTI ID:: 1546797

Journal Information:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 116, Issue 29; ISSN 0027-8424

Publisher:: National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 44 works

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