Physics

Emergent topological states via digital (001) oxide superlattices

Z. Liu, H. Liu, et al.

Discover how the groundbreaking research by Zhiwei Liu and colleagues uncovers the design principles for inducing multiple topological states in oxide superlattices. Their findings reveal that certain superlattices act as strong topological insulators and display fascinating coexisting topological states, including type-II Dirac points and symmetry-protected Dirac node lines.

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Playback language: English

Index

Abstract

This research explores the design principles for inducing multiple topological states in (001) (AMO3)1/(AMO3)1 oxide superlattices. Using first-principles calculations and model analysis, the study demonstrates that a (SrMO3)1/(SrM′O3)1 superlattice (M = Nb, Ta; M′ = Rh, Ir) acts as a strong topological insulator. Furthermore, a (SrMoO3)1/(SrIrO3)1 superlattice exhibits coexisting topological insulator (TI) and topological Dirac semi-metal (TDS) states, with the TDS state featuring type-II Dirac points and symmetry-protected Dirac node lines. The non-trivial topological properties result from band inversion between d orbitals of dissimilar transition metals and the (001) superlattice geometry.

Publisher

npj Computational Materials

Published On

Sep 29, 2022

Authors

Zhiwei Liu, Hongquan Liu, Jiaji Ma, Xiaoxuan Wang, Gang Li, Hanghui Chen