Project Details
SFB 1170: Topological and Correlated Electronics at Surfaces and Interfaces ("ToCoTronics")
Subject Area
Physics
Term
since 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 258499086
The SFB 1170 on “Topological and Correlated Electronics at Surfaces and Interfaces” aims at combining two of the most active and exciting fields of modern condensed matter physics: topological phases of matter and strong electronic correlations. In recent years, the combination of the two fields, in particular, the emergent physics due to the presence of both spin-orbit interaction and strong electronic correlations develops in exciting directions. In the previous funding periods, we have accomplished major scientific breakthroughs. Prime examples thereof are: measurement of a 4pi-periodic Josephson supercurrent in topological Josephson junctions, identification of spin-polarized midgap states in the topological crystalline insulator (Pb,Sn)Se, discovery of bismuthene as a novel quantum spin Hall material, discovery of the antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4, discovery of indenene as a real-space obstructed topological insulator, identification of interacting helical edge states in two complementary materials (Bi and HgTe), and prediction of correlated kagome materials. These and other achievements of our principal investigators constitute ideal seeds for further research developments in the three project areas: (A) Topological insulators; (B) Hybrid systems and topological superconductivity; (C) Spin-orbit coupling in correlated electron systems. We are now in the position to address the following research questions in the third funding period. First, we aim to explore both new phenomena and devices using established topological materials (such as HgTe). Second, we plan to design and synthesize new topological materials of high quality (such as MnBi2Te4 or elemental atomic monolayers). Third, we add the investigation of kagome metals/superconductors to our research agenda. Spectroscopically, we plan to investigate particular charge, spin and orbital properties of the boundary states of topological matter. As far as electron and heat transport is concerned, we aim to understand the limiting scattering mechanisms. Superconductor hybrid structures play an important role in the research objectives of the third funding period. The focus is put on a thorough study of topological superconductivity with emerging bound states such as Andreev bound states, Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states, and Majorana zero modes. Moreover, we plan to predict and develop strongly correlated topological systems, for instance, based on kagome metals or complex oxides. From a fundamental physics perspective, we aim to understand deeply the interplay of many-body physics and topology. From a more applied point of view, we target at the prediction and realization of innovative device concepts of topological matter, for instance, related to spintronics and quantum computing.
DFG Programme
Collaborative Research Centres
International Connection
Norway
Current projects
- A01 - Symmetry and correlation in the electronic structure of epitaxial topological insulators (Project Heads Bentmann, Hendrik ; Reinert, Friedrich )
- A02 - Spin-resolved electronic and transport properties of clean and doped topological materials (Project Heads Bode, Matthias ; Leisegang, Markus )
- A03 - Transport phenomena in topological insulators (Project Heads Borzenko, Tatiana ; Buhmann, Hartmut ; Kleinlein, Johannes )
- A04 - Growth of HgTe topological insulators, Weyl and Dirac semimetals (Project Heads Brüne, Christoph ; Buhmann, Hartmut ; Molenkamp, Laurens W. )
- A06 - Competing symmetries and disorder in topological materials (Project Head Hankiewicz, Ewelina M. )
- A07 - Low energy spectroscopy of HgTe based magnetic and nonmagnetic topological insulators and semimetals (Project Heads Kießling, Tobias ; Molenkamp, Laurens W. )
- A08 - Electron spectroscopy of topological insulators: triangular atom monolayers (Project Heads Claessen, Ralph ; Moser, Simon ; Schäfer, Jörg )
- A09 - Transport properties of Dirac materials (Project Head Trauzettel, Björn )
- A10 - Bismuthene and related systems: a new class of 2D topological insulators (Project Heads Claessen, Ralph ; Schäfer, Jörg )
- B01 - Epitaxy and magnetotransport studies of heterostructures based on V-VI compound topological insulators (Project Heads Brunner, Karl ; Gould, Charles ; Kamp, Martin )
- B02 - Topological superconductivity in HgTe-based topological materials (Project Heads Gould, Charles ; Molenkamp, Laurens W. ; Stehno, Martin )
- B03 - Detection and manipulation of topological and unconventional superconductivity in new materials (Project Head Hankiewicz, Ewelina M. )
- B04 - Low-energy theories for strongly correlated spin-orbit electron systems in one and two spatial dimensions (Project Heads Greiter, Martin ; Thomale, Ronny )
- B05 - Superconducting hybrid structures based on topological insulators and Weyl semimetals (Project Heads Kornich, Viktoriia ; Trauzettel, Björn )
- B06 - Many-body electronic instabilities and topology on hexagonal lattices (Project Heads Di Sante, Domenico ; Thomale, Ronny )
- B07 - Spin and orbital textures in kagome superconductors (Project Heads Reinert, Friedrich ; Ünzelmann, Maximilian )
- C02 - Ultra-high resolution surface studies of topological superconductors (Project Heads Bode, Matthias ; Odobesko, Artem )
- C05 - Topological states in materials with highly entangled spin, orbital and charge degrees of freedom (Project Head Sangiovanni, Giorgio )
- C07 - Symmetry-protected nodal phases in correlated electron systems (Project Heads Sangiovanni, Giorgio ; Trauzettel, Björn )
- C08 - Spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations in complex oxides (Project Heads Claessen, Ralph ; Sing, Michael )
- C09 - Hydrodynamics and gauge/gravity duality for electrons in solids (Project Heads Erdmenger, Johanna ; Meyer, René )
- C10 - The Dirac semimetal RuO2: From topology to functionality (Project Head Moser, Simon )
- IRTG - Integrated Research Training Group (Project Heads Bode, Matthias ; Hinkov, Vladimir ; Reinert, Friedrich ; Thomale, Ronny )
- Z01 - Central coordination and administration (Project Heads Claessen, Ralph ; Trauzettel, Björn )
- Z03 - Sustainable code development and optimization on modern supercomputing architectures (Project Heads Assaad, Fakher Fakhry ; Hankiewicz, Ewelina M. )
Completed projects
- A05 - Technology and investigations of topological crystalline insulators (Project Head Brunner, Karl )
- C01 - Numerical simulation of topological and exotic states of quantum matter (Project Heads Assaad, Fakher Fakhry ; Hohenadler, Martin )
- C03 - Interplay of correlations and spin-orbit physics in 1D and 2D surface systems (Project Heads Claessen, Ralph ; Schäfer, Jörg )
- C04 - Resonant x-ray absorption and scattering study of classical and oxide-based topological insulators (Project Heads Hinkov, Vladimir ; Zabolotnyy, Volodymyr )
- C06 - Topological phases in heavy-fermion insulators and semimetals, and the importance of time-reversal or inversion symmetry (Project Heads Hinkov, Vladimir ; Reinert, Friedrich )
- Z02 - Advanced nanoscale characterization and fabrication (Project Heads Bode, Matthias ; Kamp, Martin ; Kleinlein, Johannes )
Applicant Institution
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Spokespersons
Professor Dr. Ralph Claessen, until 6/2019; Professor Dr. Björn Trauzettel, since 7/2019