Experimental realization of two-dimensional weak topological insulators

TL;DR

This paper reports the first experimental realization of two-dimensional weak topological insulators using spinless circuits, demonstrating phase transitions, anisotropic Dirac cones, and flat-band states, advancing understanding of topological phases.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of 2D WTIs in circuits, revealing phase transitions, Dirac cone behavior, and flat-band states, with implications for topological insulator research.

Findings

Observation of Dirac semimetal phase with anisotropic Dirac cones

Identification of four WTI phases through topological indexes

Detection of flat-band domain wall states

Abstract

We report the experimental realization of two-dimensional (2D) weak topological insulator (WTI) in spinless Su-Schrieffer-Heeger circuits with parity-time and chiral symmetries. Strong and weak $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological indexes are adopted to explain the experimental findings that a Dirac semimetal (DSM) phase and four WTI phases emerge in turn when we modulate the centrosymmetric circuit deformations. In DSM phase, it is found that the Dirac cone is highly anisotropic and not pinned to any high-symmetry points but can widely move within the Brillouin zone, which eventually leads to the phase transition between WTIs. In addition, we observe a pair of flat-band domain wall states by designing spatially inhomogeneous node connections. Our work provides the first experimental evidence for 2D WTIs, which significantly advances our understanding on the strong and weak nature of topological insulators, the robustness of flat bands, and the itinerant and anisotropic feature of Dirac cones.