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arXiv · 1011.5166

Bound states and persistent currents in topological insulator rings

Paolo Michetti·Patrik Recher
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Abstract

We analyze theoretically the bound state spectrum of an Aharonov Bohm (AB) ring in a two-dimensional topological insulator using the four-band model of HgTe-quantum wells as a concrete example. We calculate analytically the circular helical edge states and their spectrum as well as the bound states evolving out of the bulk spectrum as a function of the applied magnetic flux and dimension of the ring. We also analyze the spin-dependent persistent currents, which can be used to measure the spin of single electrons. We further take into account the Rashba spin-orbit interaction which mixes the spin states and derive its effect on the ring spectrum. The flux tunability of the ring states allows for coherent mixing of the edge- and the spin degrees of freedom of bound electrons which could be exploited for quantum information processing in topological insulator rings.

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Paolo Michetti, Patrik Recher. 2011-03-21. Bound states and persistent currents in topological insulator rings. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.83.125420

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