Investigation of topological boundary states for design of quantum devices

• Grant number: 22/08478-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2022
• End date: October 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Adalberto Fazzio
• Grantee: Augusto de Lelis Araújo
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/02317-2 - Interfaces in materials: electronic, magnetic, structural and transport properties, AP.TEM

Abstract

The current interest in topological materials is transiting from a more fundamental exploration tothe direct application and design of new functionalities. Spintronics is the key application oftopological insulators, given its helical surface states protected from backscattering by symmetry, namely a spin-momentum locking. Currently, studies focused only on the existence of thetopological nature of the material not concerned with the electronic characteristics of real systems'boundaries. This project aims to understand the connection between the interface's geometries andthe arising helical boundary states, guiding new ways of controlling those emergent phenomena, proposing a design of new devices, while additionally finding new materials hosting robusttopological phases. Furthermore, by designing topological insulator surfaces with broken inversionsymmetry we can achieve spin-textures from both topological and Rashba effect origins. Sucheffects can add up increasing the Rashba-Edelstein effect, which is essential for efficientferromagnetic magnetization direction switching in magnetic memory applications. (AU)