Topological end states due to inhomogeneous strains in wrinkled semiconducting ribbons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that inhomogeneous strains in buckled semiconducting ribbons induce topologically protected end states, with phase transitions controllable by the ribbon's geometry, highlighting potential for strain-engineered topological devices.

Contribution

It reveals how curvature-induced strain distributions create topological end states in semiconducting ribbons and identifies the conditions for topological phase transitions based on geometry.

Findings

End states are robust against weak disorder.

Topological phase transitions can be controlled by geometric variations.

Inhomogeneous strain distributions lead to topologically protected states.

Abstract

We show that curvature-induced inhomogeneous strain distributions in nanoscale buckled semiconducting ribbons lead to the existence of end states which are topologically protected by inversion symmetry. These end-state doublets, corresponding to the so-called Maue-Shockley states, are robust against weak disorder. By identifying and calculating the corresponding topological invariants, we further show that a buckled semiconducting ribbon undergoes topological phase transitions between trivial and non-trivial insulating phases by varying its real space geometry.