Observation of giant nonreciprocal charge transport from quantum Hall states in a topological insulator

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of giant nonreciprocal charge transport in topological insulator devices exhibiting quantum Hall states, highlighting symmetry breaking effects and potential for novel electronic applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates nonreciprocal charge transport mediated by quantum Hall states in a topological insulator, with a record-high nonreciprocal coefficient, advancing understanding of symmetry breaking in quantum materials.

Findings

Giant nonreciprocal coefficient of up to 2.26×10^5 A^-1 observed.

Nonreciprocal charge transport attributed to asymmetric scattering between quantum Hall and Dirac surface states.

Properties of nonreciprocal transport in topological insulators revealed.

Abstract

Symmetry breaking in quantum materials is of great importance and can lead to nonreciprocal charge transport. Topological insulators provide a unique platform to study nonreciprocal charge transport due to their surface states, especially quantum Hall states under external magnetic field. Here, we report the observation of nonreciprocal charge transport mediated by quantum Hall states in devices composed of the intrinsic topological insulator Sn-Bi1.1Sb0.9Te2S, which is attributed to asymmetric scattering between quantum Hall states and Dirac surface states. A giant nonreciprocal coefficient of up to 2.26*10^5 A^-1 is found. Our work not only reveals the properties of nonreciprocal charge transport of quantum Hall states in topological insulators, but also paves the way for future electronic devices.