Structural Tuning Magnetism and Topology in a Magnetic Topological Insulator.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40778685.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/adma.202506792.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
To date, the most widely-studied quantum anomalous Hall insulator (QAHI) platform is achieved by dilute doping of magnetic ions into thin films of the alloyed tetradymite topological insulator (TI) (Bi<sub>1 - x</sub>Sb<sub>x</sub>)<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> (BST). In these films, long-range magnetic ordering of the transition metal substituants opens an exchange gap Δ in the topological surface states, stabilizing spin-polarized, dissipationless edge channels with a nonzero Chern number <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><semantics><mi>C</mi> <annotation>$\mathcal {C}$</annotation></semantics> </math> . The long-range ordering of the spatially separated magnetic ions is itself mediated by electronic states in the host TI, leading to a sophisticated feedback between magnetic and electronic properties. Here, a study is presented on the electronic and magnetic response of a BST-based QAHI system to structural tuning via hydrostatic pressure. A systematic closure of the topological gap under compressive strain is identified accompanied by a simultaneous enhancement in the magnetic ordering strength. Combining these experimental results with first-principle calculations, structural deformation is identified as a strong tuning parameter to traverse a rich topological phase space and modify magnetism in the magnetically doped BST system.