Jürg Osterwalder

Title

An Introduction to Topological Insulators

Abstract

Condensed matter physicists continue to discover new materials with unexpected and exciting physical properties. Only a few years after graphene, topological insulators have appeared on the scene. Strictly speaking, they are conventional band insulators, but their band gap opens as a consequence of strong spin-orbit interaction. Importantly, a non-trivial topology of bulk electronic states forces their surfaces to become two-dimensional metals with spin-polarized electronic states. Because these states are topologically protected, and because they form spontaneously on an insulating support, they are potentially very attractive for mesoscopic device physicists. Moreover, their unique spin properties provide opportunities for new device concepts. In a double feature devoted to these exotic materials, I will provide an experimentalists view on the physical properties of topological insulators, while next week’s speaker will provide more theoretical insight and present some of these novel concepts.