arXiv subjects

Frédéric Teppe

Publications and source records attributed to Frédéric Teppe.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Magnetic-field-induced corner states in quantum spin Hall insulators

We address the problem of magnetic-field-induced corner states in quantum spin Hall insulators (QSHIs) beyond the particle-hole-symmetric limit. Starting from a realistic low-energy model for zinc-blende semiconductor quantum wells (QWs), we derive the effective edge Hamiltonian in the form of a Dirac Hamiltonian with two magnetic-field-dependent mass terms, whose structure depends on the crystallographic orientation of the edge and of the magnetic-field orientation. Our \emph{analytical} results show that magnetic-field-induced corner states are most naturally understood as in-gap bound states of the effective edge theory, controlled by the relative configuration of the edge mass vectors rather than, in general, as higher-order topological corner modes protected by a stable bulk invariant. We demonstrate that, although mirror-graded winding numbers can be defined and quantized for certain crystallographic configurations, the existence of magnetic-field-induced corner states is not restricted to regimes in which these bulk invariants are well defined. Finally, we argue that even without higher-order topological protection these corner states may remain spectrally robust under weak perturbations as isolated in-gap quasiparticle excitations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Resonant Dyakonov-Shur Magnetoplasmons in Graphene Terahertz Photodetectors

Graphene plasmons confine incident terahertz fields far below the diffraction limit and, when hosted by a gate-defined Fabry-Perot cavity, enable electrically tunable, frequency-selective photodetectors. In a magnetic field, these plasmons hybridize with the cyclotron motion to form magnetoplasmons, offering a platform for fundamental studies and for nonreciprocal, spectrally selective, ultrasensitive terahertz photonics. However, implementing magnetoplasmon-assisted resonant transistors at terahertz frequencies has remained challenging so far. Here we use gate-dependent, on-chip terahertz photocurrent spectroscopy combined with a perpendicular magnetic field to resolve and probe the evolution of resonant magnetoplasmons in antenna-coupled monolayer and bilayer graphene TeraFETs. In monolayer graphene the dispersion reflects the Dirac nature of the carriers, exhibiting a non-monotonic density dependence due to the interplay of plasma resonance and cyclotron motion, with an inflection point at maximal plasmon-cyclotron coupling. In contrast, in bilayer graphene we recover and map a magnetoplasmon dispersion consistent with the conventional Schrödinger-type picture. These results establish graphene TeraFET devices as a robust on-chip platform for resonant magnetoplasmonics at terahertz frequencies, enabling magnetically programmable, frequency-selective photonics and opening avenues toward photodetectors with enhanced sensitivity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Dirac-like fermions anomalous magneto-transport in a spin-polarized oxide two-dimensional electron system

In two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) the breaking of the inversion, time-reversal and bulk crystal-field symmetries is interlaced with the effects of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) triggering exotic quantum phenomena. Here, we used epitaxial engineering to design and realize a 2DES characterized simultaneously by ferromagnetic order, large Rashba SOC and hexagonal band warping at the (111) interfaces between LaAlO$_{3}$, EuTiO$_{3}$ and SrTiO$_{3}$ insulators. The 2DES displays anomalous quantum corrections to the magneto-conductance driven by the time-reversal-symmetry breaking occurring below the magnetic transition temperature. The results are explained by the emergence of a non-trivial Berry phase and competing weak anti-localization / weak localization back-scattering of Dirac-like fermions, mimicking the phenomenology of gapped topological insulators. These findings open perspectives for the engineering of novel spin-polarized functional 2DES holding promises in spin-orbitronics and topological electronics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Roles of band gap and Kane electronic dispersion in the THz-frequency nonlinear optical response in HgCdTe

Materials with linear electronic dispersion often feature high carrier mobilities and unusually strong nonlinear optical interactions. In this work, we investigate the THz nonlinear dynamics of one such material, HgCdTe, with an electronic band dispersion heavily dependent on both temperature and stoichiometry. We show how the band gap, carrier concentration and band shape together determine the nonlinear response of the system. At low temperatures, carrier generation from Zener tunneling dominates the nonlinear response with a reduction in the overall transmission. At room temperature, quasi-ballistic electronic dynamics drive the largest observed nonlinear optical interactions, leading to a transmission increase. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of these nonlinear optical properties of narrow-gap materials to small changes in the electronic dispersion and carrier concentration.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Disorder-induced topological phase transition in HgCdTe crystals

Using the self-consistent Born approximation, we study a topological phase transition appearing in bulk HgCdTe crystals induced \emph{uncorrelated} disorder due to both randomly distributed impurities and fluctuations in Cd composition. By following the density-of-states evolution, we clearly demonstrate the topological phase transition, which can be understood in terms of the disorder-renormalized mass of Kane fermions. We find that the presence of heavy-hole band in HgCdTe crystals leads to the topological phase transition at much lower disorder strength than it is expected for conventional 3D topological insulators. Our theoretical results can be also applied to other narrow-gap zinc-blende semiconductors such as InAs, InSb and their ternary alloys InAsSb.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Relativistic collapse of Landau levels of Kane fermions in crossed electric and magnetic fields

Using an elegant model involving only $Γ_{6c}$ and $Γ_{8v}$ bands, massless Kane fermions were defined as the particles associated with the peculiar band structure of gapless HgCdTe crystals. Although their dispersion relation resembles that of a pseudo-spin-1 Dirac semimetal, these particles were originally considered to be hybrids of pseudospin-1 and -1/2 fermions. Here we unequivocally find that by considering an additional $Γ_{7c}$ conduction band inherent in HgCdTe crystals, the Kane fermions are ultimately two nested Dirac particles. This observation allows the direct application of Lorentz transformations to describe the relativistic behavior of these particles in crossed electric and magnetic fields. By studying the relativistic collapse of their Landau levels at different orientations between the crossed fields and the main crystallographic axes, we demonstrate that the Kane fermions strikingly decay into two independent Dirac particles with increasing of electric field. Our results provide new insight into semi-relativistic effects in narrow-gap semiconductors in crossed electric and magnetic fields.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Experimental evidence for long-distance electrodynamic intermolecular forces

Both classical and quantum electrodynamics predict the existence of dipole-dipole long-range electrodynamic intermolecular forces; however, these have never been hitherto experimentally observed. The discovery of completely new and unanticipated forces acting between biomolecules could have considerable impact on our understanding of the dynamics and functioning of the molecular machines at work in living organisms. Here, using two independent experiments, on the basis of different physical effects detected by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and terahertz spectroscopy, respectively, we demonstrate experimentally the activation of resonant electrodynamic intermolecular forces. This is an unprecedented experimental proof of principle of a physical phenomenon that, having been observed for biomacromolecules and with long-range action (up to 1000 Angstroms), could be of importance for biology. In addition to thermal fluctuations that drive molecular motion randomly, these resonant (and thus selective) electrodynamic forces may contribute to molecular encounters in the crowded cellular space.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2020

Disorder-induced phase transition in Dirac systems beyond the linear approximation

By using the self-consistent Born approximation, we investigate disorder effect induced by the short-range impurities on the band-gap in two-dimensional Dirac systems with the higher order terms in momentum. Starting from the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang (BHZ) model, we calculate the density-of-states as a function of the disorder strength. We show that due to quadratic corrections to the Dirac Hamiltonian, the band-gap is always affected by the disorder even if the system is gapless in the clean limit. Finally, we explore the disorder effects by using an advanced effective Hamiltonian describing the side maxima of the valence subband in HgTe~quantum wells. We show that the band-gap and disorder-induced topological phase transition in the real structures may differ significantly from those predicted within the BHZ model.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Hybridization of topological surface states with a flat band

We address the problem of hybridization between topological surface states and a non-topological flat bulk band. Our model, being a mixture of three-dimensional Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang and two-dimensional pseudospin-1 Hamiltonian, allows explicit treatment of the topological surface state evolution by continuously changing the hybridization between the inverted bands and an additional "parasitic" flat band in the bulk. We show that the hybridization with a flat band lying below the edge of conduction band converts the initial Dirac-like surface states into a branch below and one above the flat band. Our results univocally demonstrate that the upper branch of the topological surface states is formed by Dyakonov-Khaetskii surface states known for HgTe since the 1980s. Additionally we explore an evolution of the surface states and the arising of Fermi arcs in Dirac semimetals when the flat band crosses the conduction band.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗