Fractional Angular Momentum at Topological Insulator Interfaces

de Broglie-Bohm analysis of a nonlinear membrane: From quantum to classical chaos

Within the de Broglie-Bohm theory, we numerically study a generic two-dimensional anharmonic oscillator including cubic and quartic interactions in addition to a bilinear coupling term. Our analysis of the quantum velocity fields and trajectories reveals the emergence of dynamical vortices. In their vicinity, fingerprints of chaotic behavior such as unpredictability and sensitivity to initial conditions are detected. The simultaneous presence of the off-diagonal -kxy and nonlinear terms leads to robust quantum chaos very analogous to its classical version.

Revisiting the van der Waals Epitaxy in the Case of (Bi0.4Sb0.6)2Te3 Thin Films on Dissimilar Substrates

Ultrathin films of the ternary topological insulator (Bi0.4Sb0.6)2Te3 are fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. Although it is generally assumed that the ternary topological insulator tellurides grow by van der Waals epitaxy, our results show that the influence of the substrate is substantial and governs the formation of defects, mosaicity, and twin domains. For this comparative study, InP (111)A, Al2O3 (001), and SrTiO3 (111) substrates were selected. While the films deposited on lattice-matched InP (111)A show van der Waals epitaxial relations, our results point to a quasi-van der Waals epitaxy for the films grown on substrates with a larger lattice mismatch.

Phase interference for probing topological fractional charge in a BiSbTeSe2-based Josephson junction array

Fractional charges can be induced by magnetic fluxes at the interface between a topological insulator (TI) and a type-II superconductor due to axion electrodynamics. In a Josephson junction array with a hole in the middle, these electronic states can have phase interference in an applied magnetic field with4×2πperiod, in addition to the 2πinterference of the Cooper pairs. Here, we test an experimental configuration for probing the fractional charge and report the observation of phase interference effect in superconducting arrays with a hole in the middle in both Au- and TI-based devices. Our numerical simulations based on resistive shunted capacitive junction model are in good agreement with the experimental results. However, no clear sign of an axion charge-related interference effect was observed. We will discuss possible reasons and perspectives for future experiments.