Quantized transport and steady states of Floquet topological insulators

TY - JOUR

T1 - Quantized transport and steady states of Floquet topological insulators

AU - Esin, Iliya

AU - Rudner, Mark S.

AU - Refael, Gil

AU - Lindner, Netanel H.

N1 - [Qdev]

PY - 2018/6/6

Y1 - 2018/6/6

N2 - Robust electronic edge or surface modes play key roles in the fascinating quantized responses exhibited by topological materials. Even in trivial materials, topological bands and edge states can be induced dynamically by a time-periodic drive. Such Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) inherently exist out of equilibrium; the extent to which they can host quantized transport, which depends on the steady-state population of their dynamically induced edge states, remains a crucial question. In this work, we obtain the steady states of two-dimensional FTIs in the presence of the natural dissipation mechanisms present in solid state systems. We give conditions under which the steady-state distribution resembles that of a topological insulator in the Floquet basis. In this state, the distribution in the Floquet edge modes exhibits a sharp feature akin to a Fermi level, while the bulk hosts a small density of excitations. We determine the regimes where topological edge-state transport persists and can be observed in FTIs.

AB - Robust electronic edge or surface modes play key roles in the fascinating quantized responses exhibited by topological materials. Even in trivial materials, topological bands and edge states can be induced dynamically by a time-periodic drive. Such Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) inherently exist out of equilibrium; the extent to which they can host quantized transport, which depends on the steady-state population of their dynamically induced edge states, remains a crucial question. In this work, we obtain the steady states of two-dimensional FTIs in the presence of the natural dissipation mechanisms present in solid state systems. We give conditions under which the steady-state distribution resembles that of a topological insulator in the Floquet basis. In this state, the distribution in the Floquet edge modes exhibits a sharp feature akin to a Fermi level, while the bulk hosts a small density of excitations. We determine the regimes where topological edge-state transport persists and can be observed in FTIs.

U2 - 10.1103/physrevb.97.245401

DO - 10.1103/physrevb.97.245401

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85048358616

SN - 2469-9950

VL - 97

JO - Physical Review B

JF - Physical Review B

IS - 24

M1 - 245401

ER -