scholarly journals Resolving the topological classification of bismuth with topological defects

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaax6996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhay Kumar Nayak ◽  
Jonathan Reiner ◽  
Raquel Queiroz ◽  
Huixia Fu ◽  
Chandra Shekhar ◽  
...  

The growing diversity of topological classes leads to ambiguity between classes that share similar boundary phenomenology. This is the status of bulk bismuth. Recent studies have classified it as either a strong or a higher-order topological insulator, both of which host helical modes on their boundaries. We resolve the topological classification of bismuth by spectroscopically mapping the response of its boundary modes to a screw-dislocation. We find that the one-dimensional mode, on step-edges, extends over a wide energy range and does not open a gap near the screw-dislocations. This signifies that this mode binds to the screw-dislocation, as expected for a material with nonzero weak indices. We argue that the small energy gap, at the time reversal invariant momentum L, positions bismuth within the critical region of a topological phase transition between a higher-order topological insulator and a strong topological insulator with nonzero weak indices.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Dutreix ◽  
Matthieu Bellec ◽  
Pierre Delplace ◽  
Fabrice Mortessagne

AbstractPhase singularities appear ubiquitously in wavefields, regardless of the wave equation. Such topological defects can lead to wavefront dislocations, as observed in a humongous number of classical wave experiments. Phase singularities of wave functions are also at the heart of the topological classification of the gapped phases of matter. Despite identical singular features, topological insulators and topological defects in waves remain two distinct fields. Realising 1D microwave insulators, we experimentally observe a wavefront dislocation – a 2D phase singularity – in the local density of states when the systems undergo a topological phase transition. We show theoretically that the change in the number of interference fringes at the transition reveals the topological index that characterises the band topology in the insulator.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leena Aggarwal ◽  
Penghao Zhu ◽  
Taylor L. Hughes ◽  
Vidya Madhavan

AbstractHigher order topological insulators (HOTIs) are a new class of topological materials which host protected states at the corners or hinges of a crystal. HOTIs provide an intriguing alternative platform for helical and chiral edge states and Majorana modes, but there are very few known materials in this class. Recent studies have proposed Bi as a potential HOTI, however, its topological classification is not yet well accepted. In this work, we show that the (110) facets of Bi and BiSb alloys can be used to unequivocally establish the topology of these systems. Bi and Bi0.92Sb0.08 (110) films were grown on silicon substrates using molecular beam epitaxy and studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The surfaces manifest rectangular islands which show localized hinge states on three out of the four edges, consistent with the theory for the HOTI phase. This establishes Bi and Bi0.92Sb0.08 as HOTIs, and raises questions about the topological classification of the full family of BixSb1−x alloys.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Julio Gutierrez Moreno ◽  
Marco Fronzi ◽  
Pierre Lovera ◽  
alan O'Riordan ◽  
Mike J Ford ◽  
...  

<p></p><p>Interfacial metal-oxide systems with ultrathin oxide layers are of high interest for their use in catalysis. In this study, we present a density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the structure of ultrathin rutile layers (one and two TiO<sub>2</sub> layers) supported on TiN and the stability of water on these interfacial structures. The rutile layers are stabilized on the TiN surface through the formation of interfacial Ti–O bonds. Charge transfer from the TiN substrate leads to the formation of reduced Ti<sup>3+</sup> cations in TiO<sub>2.</sub> The structure of the one-layer oxide slab is strongly distorted at the interface, while the thicker TiO<sub>2</sub> layer preserves the rutile structure. The energy cost for the formation of a single O vacancy in the one-layer oxide slab is only 0.5 eV with respect to the ideal interface. For the two-layer oxide slab, the introduction of several vacancies in an already non-stoichiometric system becomes progressively more favourable, which indicates the stability of the highly non-stoichiometric interfaces. Isolated water molecules dissociate when adsorbed at the TiO<sub>2</sub> layers. At higher coverages the preference is for molecular water adsorption. Our ab initio thermodynamics calculations show the fully water covered stoichiometric models as the most stable structure at typical ambient conditions. Interfacial models with multiple vacancies are most stable at low (reducing) oxygen chemical potential values. A water monolayer adsorbs dissociatively on the highly distorted 2-layer TiO<sub>1.75</sub>-TiN interface, where the Ti<sup>3+</sup> states lying above the top of the valence band contribute to a significant reduction of the energy gap compared to the stoichiometric TiO<sub>2</sub>-TiN model. Our results provide a guide for the design of novel interfacial systems containing ultrathin TiO<sub>2</sub> with potential application as photocatalytic water splitting devices.</p><p></p>


Author(s):  
I. Kukhtevich

Functional autonomic disorders occupy a significant part in the practice of neurologists and professionals of other specialties as well. However, there is no generally accepted classification of such disorders. In this paper the authors tried to show that functional autonomic pathology corresponds to the concept of somatoform disorders combining syndromes manifested by visceral, borderline psychopathological, neurological symptoms that do not have an organic basis. The relevance of the problem of somatoform disorders is that on the one hand many health professionals are not familiar enough with manifestations of borderline neuropsychiatric disorders, often forming functional autonomic disorders, and on the other hand they overestimate somatoform symptoms that are similar to somatic diseases.


Author(s):  
Jenny Andersson

Alvin Toffler’s writings encapsulated many of the tensions of futurism: the way that futurology and futures studies oscillated between forms of utopianism and technocracy with global ambitions, and between new forms of activism, on the one hand, and emerging forms of consultancy and paid advice on the other. Paradoxically, in their desire to create new images of the future capable of providing exits from the status quo of the Cold War world, futurists reinvented the technologies of prediction that they had initially rejected, and put them at the basis of a new activity of futures advice. Consultancy was central to the field of futures studies from its inception. For futurists, consultancy was a form of militancy—a potentially world altering expertise that could bypass politics and also escaped the boring halls of academia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. S-324-S-325
Author(s):  
Takahisa Furuta ◽  
Takuma Kagami ◽  
Mihoko Yamade ◽  
Takahiro Suzuki ◽  
Tomohiro Higuchi ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232199379
Author(s):  
Olaug S. Lian ◽  
Sarah Nettleton ◽  
Åge Wifstad ◽  
Christopher Dowrick

In this article, we qualitatively explore the manner and style in which medical encounters between patients and general practitioners (GPs) are mutually conducted, as exhibited in situ in 10 consultations sourced from the One in a Million: Primary Care Consultations Archive in England. Our main objectives are to identify interactional modes, to develop a classification of these modes, and to uncover how modes emerge and shift both within and between consultations. Deploying an interactional perspective and a thematic and narrative analysis of consultation transcripts, we identified five distinctive interactional modes: question and answer (Q&A) mode, lecture mode, probabilistic mode, competition mode, and narrative mode. Most modes are GP-led. Mode shifts within consultations generally map on to the chronology of the medical encounter. Patient-led narrative modes are initiated by patients themselves, which demonstrates agency. Our classification of modes derives from complete naturally occurring consultations, covering a wide range of symptoms, and may have general applicability.


Symmetry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1016
Author(s):  
Camelia Liliana Moldovan ◽  
Radu Păltănea

The paper presents a multidimensional generalization of the Schoenberg operators of higher order. The new operators are powerful tools that can be used for approximation processes in many fields of applied sciences. The construction of these operators uses a symmetry regarding the domain of definition. The degree of approximation by sequences of such operators is given in terms of the first and the second order moduli of continuity. Extending certain results obtained by Marsden in the one-dimensional case, the property of preservation of monotonicity and convexity is proved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Ryo Noguchi ◽  
Kenta Kuroda ◽  
Chun Lin ◽  
Kaishu Kawaguchi ◽  
...  

AbstractA quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator hosts topological states at the one-dimensional (1D) edge, along which backscattering by nonmagnetic impurities is strictly prohibited. Its 3D analogue, a weak topological insulator (WTI), possesses similar quasi-1D topological states confined at side surfaces. The enhanced confinement could provide a route for dissipationless current and better advantages for applications relative to strong topological insulators (STIs). However, the topological side surface is usually not cleavable and is thus hard to observe. Here, we visualize the topological states of the WTI candidate ZrTe5 by spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES): a quasi-1D band with spin-momentum locking was revealed on the side surface. We further demonstrate that the bulk band gap is controlled by external strain, realizing a more stable WTI state or an ideal Dirac semimetal (DS) state. The highly directional spin-current and the tunable band gap in ZrTe5 will provide an excellent platform for applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inho Lee ◽  
S. I. Hyun ◽  
J. H. Shim

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