Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles
Abstract Topological materials host robust properties, unaffected by microscopic perturbations, owing to the global topological properties of the bulk electron system. Materials in which the topological invariant can be changed by easily tuning external parameters are especially sought after. Zircon...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-08-01
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| Series: | npj Computational Materials |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00854-z |
| _version_ | 1811340322439954432 |
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| author | Zoltán Tajkov Dániel Nagy Konrád Kandrai János Koltai László Oroszlány Péter Süle Zsolt E. Horváth Péter Vancsó Levente Tapasztó Péter Nemes-Incze |
| author_facet | Zoltán Tajkov Dániel Nagy Konrád Kandrai János Koltai László Oroszlány Péter Süle Zsolt E. Horváth Péter Vancsó Levente Tapasztó Péter Nemes-Incze |
| author_sort | Zoltán Tajkov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Topological materials host robust properties, unaffected by microscopic perturbations, owing to the global topological properties of the bulk electron system. Materials in which the topological invariant can be changed by easily tuning external parameters are especially sought after. Zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe5) is one of a few experimentally available materials that reside close to the boundary of a topological phase transition, allowing the switching of its invariant by mechanical strain. Here, we unambiguously identify a topological insulator–metal transition as a function of strain, by a combination of ab initio calculations and direct measurements of the local charge density. Our model quantitatively describes the response to complex strain patterns found in bubbles of few layer ZrTe5 without fitting parameters, reproducing the mechanical deformation-dependent closing of the band gap observed using scanning tunneling microscopy. We calculate the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 and identify the phase at equilibrium, enabling the design of device architectures, which exploit the topological switching characteristics of the system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:39:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5672509c90d46ffa8af3f88af708538 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2057-3960 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:39:17Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Computational Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5672509c90d46ffa8af3f88af7085382022-12-22T02:34:46ZengNature Portfolionpj Computational Materials2057-39602022-08-01811710.1038/s41524-022-00854-zRevealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubblesZoltán Tajkov0Dániel Nagy1Konrád Kandrai2János Koltai3László Oroszlány4Péter Süle5Zsolt E. Horváth6Péter Vancsó7Levente Tapasztó8Péter Nemes-Incze9Centre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceDepartment of Physics of Complex Systems, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Biological PhysicsDepartment of Physics of Complex Systems, ELTE Eötvös Loránd UniversityCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceCentre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials ScienceAbstract Topological materials host robust properties, unaffected by microscopic perturbations, owing to the global topological properties of the bulk electron system. Materials in which the topological invariant can be changed by easily tuning external parameters are especially sought after. Zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe5) is one of a few experimentally available materials that reside close to the boundary of a topological phase transition, allowing the switching of its invariant by mechanical strain. Here, we unambiguously identify a topological insulator–metal transition as a function of strain, by a combination of ab initio calculations and direct measurements of the local charge density. Our model quantitatively describes the response to complex strain patterns found in bubbles of few layer ZrTe5 without fitting parameters, reproducing the mechanical deformation-dependent closing of the band gap observed using scanning tunneling microscopy. We calculate the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 and identify the phase at equilibrium, enabling the design of device architectures, which exploit the topological switching characteristics of the system.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00854-z |
| spellingShingle | Zoltán Tajkov Dániel Nagy Konrád Kandrai János Koltai László Oroszlány Péter Süle Zsolt E. Horváth Péter Vancsó Levente Tapasztó Péter Nemes-Incze Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles npj Computational Materials |
| title | Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| title_full | Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| title_fullStr | Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| title_short | Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| title_sort | revealing the topological phase diagram of zrte5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-022-00854-z |
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