González, Jhon W., Fernández-Rossier, Joaquín
Impurity states in the quantum spin Hall phase in graphene
GONZÁLEZ, Jhon W.; FERNÁNDEZ-ROSSIER, J. “Impurity states in the quantum spin Hall phase in graphene”. Physical Review B. Vol. 86, No. 11 (2012). ISSN 1098-0121, pp. 115327-1/5
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/25243
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.86.115327
ISSN: 1098-0121 (Print)
Abstract: 
Two-dimensional insulators with time-reversal symmetry can have two topologically different phases, the quantum spin Hall and the normal phase. The former is revealed by the existence of conducting edge states that are topologically protected. Here we show that the reaction to impurity, in bulk, is radically different in the two phases and can be used as a marker for the topological phase. Within the context of the Kane-Mele model for graphene, we find that strictly normalizable in-gap impurity states only occur in the quantum spin Hall phase and carry a dissipationless current whose chirality is determined by the spin and pseudospin of the residing electron.
Keywords:Quantum spin Hall phase, Impurity states, Graphene
American Physical Society
info:eu-repo/semantics/article