Topological Chiral Crystals with Helicoid Arc Quantum States (VIDEO)
Caption
The Fermi arc states form a helicoid structure along the z-axis (looking down through a chiral crystal). The extended threads along the diagonal are the 'Fermi arc' quantum states revealing the topological behavior of the electrons. The surface Fermi arc is a property that defines topological conductivity - related to the electrical conductivity of the material's surface - which in these topological chiral crystals was about 100 times larger than that observed in previously identified topological metals. Context: Princeton physicist Zahid Hasan led an international team of physicists who have discovered a form of chiral crystals -- crystals with an asymmetry like biological 'handedness' -- that host slow light-like massless electrons. The movement of some groups of electrons in these crystals mimics the behavior of magnetic monopoles. These strange properties may be utilized for next-generation quantum, magnetic and optical technologies.
Credit
Hasan Lab, Princeton University
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