Recent Advances in Weyl Semimetal ( MnBi2Se4) and Axion Insulator (MnBi2Te4)

Published

March 25, 2022

Author(s)

Sugata Chowdhury, Kevin Garrity, Francesca Tavazza

Abstract

Extensive research is currently focused on 2D and 3D magnetic topological insulators (MTIs), as their many novel properties make them excellent candidates for applications in spintronics and quantum computing. Practical MTIs requires a combination of strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and magnetic ordering. SOC induces band inversion, while magnetic order breaks time-reversal symmetry (TRS), with the consequent opening of a gap in the 2D Dirac surface states of a TRS-invariant topological insulator. Most importantly, MTIs with broken TRS and strong SOC can display quantized Hall conductance, σ_xy= C e^2/2h, where C, the Chern number, is a topologically invariant integer. Recently, the scientific community has pursued several different strategies to synthesize and tune MTIs, such as: (a) chemical doping of TRS-invariant topological insulators with magnetic atoms; (b) modification of magnetic materials with strain or doping; and (c) heterostructure engineering. This review will discuss the recent theoretical and experimental advances related to Axion insulators, a subset of MTIs where the topological classification depends on inversion symmetry rather than time-reversal symmetry. Examples of Axion insulators are MnBi2Se4, MnBi2Te4, and related materials.

Citation

Spectroscopy and Characterization of Nanomaterials and Novel Materials. Experiments, Modeling, Simulations and Applications.

Publisher Info

Wiley-VCH GmbH, Weinheim,

Pub Type

Book Chapters

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527833689.ch10

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Keywords

Magnetism, Topological insulators, Semimetal, DFT, experiments

Citation

Chowdhury, S. , Garrity, K. and Tavazza, F. (2022), Recent Advances in Weyl Semimetal ( MnBi2Se4) and Axion Insulator (MnBi2Te4), Spectroscopy and Characterization of Nanomaterials and Novel Materials. Experiments, Modeling, Simulations and Applications., Wiley-VCH GmbH, Weinheim, , [online], https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527833689.ch10, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=933909 (Accessed April 28, 2026)

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