Electronic thermal conductivity in 2D topological insulator in a HgTe quantum well.

We have measured the differential resistance in a two-dimensional topological insulator (2DTI) in a HgTe quantum well, as a function of the applied dc current. The transport near the charge neutrality point is characterized by a pair of counter propagating gapless edge modes. In the presence of an electric field, the energy is transported by counter propagating channels in the opposite direction. We test a hot carrier effect model and demonstrate that the energy transfer complies with the Wiedemann Franz law near the charge neutrality point in the edge transport regime.

Nonlocality, Correlations, and Magnetotransport in a Spatially Modulated Two-Dimensional Electron Gas.

It is shown that the classical commensurability phenomena in weakly modulated two-dimensional electron systems is a manifestation of the intrinsic properties of the correlation functions describing a homogeneous electron gas in a magnetic field. The theory demonstrates the importance for consideration of nonlocal response and removes the gap between classical and quantum approaches to magnetotransport in such systems.

Microwave-Induced Magneto-Oscillations and Signatures of Zero-Resistance States in Phonon-Drag Voltage in Two-Dimensional Electron Systems.

We observe the phonon-drag voltage oscillations correlating with the resistance oscillations under microwave irradiation in a two-dimensional electron gas in perpendicular magnetic field. This phenomenon is explained by the influence of dissipative resistivity modified by microwaves on the phonon-drag voltage perpendicular to the phonon flux. When the lowest-order resistance minima evolve into zero-resistance states, the phonon-drag voltage demonstrates sharp features suggesting that current domains associated with these states can exist in the absence of external dc driving.

Persistence of a two-dimensional topological insulator state in wide HgTe quantum wells.

Our experimental studies of electron transport in wide (14 nm) HgTe quantum wells confirm the persistence of a two-dimensional topological insulator state reported previously for narrower wells, where it was justified theoretically. Comparison of local and nonlocal resistance measurements indicate edge state transport in the samples of about 1 mm size at temperatures below 1 K. Temperature dependence of the resistances suggests an insulating gap of the order of a few meV. In samples with sizes smaller than 10 µm a quasiballistic transport via the edge states is observed.

Microwave zero-resistance states in a bilayer electron system.

Magnetotransport measurements on a high-mobility electron bilayer system formed in a wide GaAs quantum well reveal vanishing dissipative resistance under continuous microwave irradiation. Profound zero-resistance states (ZRS) appear even in the presence of additional intersubband scattering of electrons. We study the dependence of photoresistance on frequency, microwave power, and temperature. Experimental results are compared with a theory demonstrating that the conditions for absolute negative resistivity correlate with the appearance of ZRS.

Intrinsic spin-Hall effect: topological transitions in two-dimensional systems.

Topological transitions are the discontinuous changes of the Berry phase caused by continuous variation of parameters. These transitions can be detected by investigating the spin-Hall effect in two-dimensional electron and hole systems with a spin-obrit interaction when the density of carriers or the structural asymmetry are varied. The discontinuous behavior and the universality features of the spin-Hall conductivity are determined by the topological properties of the spin-orbit field.