Tunable Topological Phases in Quantum Kirigamis

TL;DR

This paper explores how mechanically deforming a quantum Kirigami structure can induce topological phase transitions, revealing a new platform for tunable topological quantum phenomena through structural manipulation.

Contribution

It introduces a transfer matrix approach to analyze topological phases in quantum Kirigami structures and demonstrates how folding angles control phase transitions.

Findings

Topological phase transitions can be engineered by mechanical deformation.

The structure's folding angles influence the critical points of phase transitions.

The system exhibits a rich interplay between topology and structural configuration.

Abstract

Advances in engineering mesoscopic quantum devices have led to new material platforms where electronic transport can be achieved on foldable structures. In this respect, we study quantum phases and their transitions on a Kirigami structure, a Japanese craft form, where its individual building blocks are topologically non-trivial. In particular, we find that by mechanically deforming the Kirigami structure one can engineer topological phase transitions in the system. Using a multipronged approach, we show that the physics of the system can be captured within a transfer matrix formalism akin to Chalker-Coddington networks, where the junctions describe scattering between effective non-Hermitian one-dimensional edge channels. We further show that the nature of the Kirigami structure can affect the critical folding angles where the topological phase transitions occur. Our study shows the rich interplay between topological quantum phenomena and structural configuration of an underlying Kirigami network reflecting its potential as an intriguing platform.