Blocking infinity in a topological insulator
Friday, February 8, 2013 - 13:01
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—In bulk, topological insulators (TIs) are good insulators, but on their surface they act as metals, with a twist: the spin and direction of electrons moving across the surface of a TI are locked together. TIs offer unique opportunities to control electric currents and magnetism, and new research by a team of scientists from China and the U.S., working with Berkeley Lab's Alexei Fedorov at beamline 12.0 at the Advanced Light Source, points to ways to manipulate their surface states.