Skip to main content

Emergent topological properties in interacting one-dimensional systems with spin-orbit coupling

Kainaris, Nikolaos, Carr, Sam T. (2015) Emergent topological properties in interacting one-dimensional systems with spin-orbit coupling. Physical Review B, 92 (3). Article Number 035139. ISSN 2469-9950. E-ISSN 2469-9969. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.92.035139) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:59999)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.92.035139

Abstract

We present analysis of a single-channel interacting quantum wire problem in the presence of spin-orbit interaction. The spin-orbit coupling breaks the spin-rotational symmetry from SU(2) to U(1) and breaks inversion symmetry. The low-energy theory is then a two-band model with a difference of Fermi velocities δv. Using bosonization and a two-loop renormalization group procedure, we show that electron-electron interactions can open a gap in the spin sector of the theory when the interaction strength U is smaller than δv in appropriate units. For repulsive interactions, the resulting strong coupling phase is of the spin-density-wave type. We show that this phase has peculiar emergent topological properties. The gapped spin sector behaves as a topological insulator, with zero-energy edge modes with fractional spin. On the other hand, the charge sector remains critical, meaning the entire system is metallic. However, this bulk electron liquid as a whole exhibits properties commonly associated with the one-dimensional edge states of two-dimensional spin Hall insulators, in particular, the conduction of 2e2/h is robust against nonmagnetic impurities.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.035139
Uncontrolled keywords: Physics of Quantum Materials
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Depositing User: Sam Carr
Date Deposited: 23 Jan 2017 09:53 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 11:01 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/59999 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.