Magnetotransport Studies on Topological Insulators

dc.contributor.advisorChu, Paul C. W.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberChu, Wei-Kan
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBassler, Kevin E.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRen, Zhifeng
dc.contributor.committeeMemberJacobson, Allan J.
dc.creatorShrestha, Keshav 1984-
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-19T01:45:20Z
dc.date.available2019-09-19T01:45:20Z
dc.date.createdDecember 2015
dc.date.issued2015-12
dc.date.submittedDecember 2015
dc.date.updated2019-09-19T01:45:20Z
dc.description.abstractThe present work describes the magnetotransport studies of topological-surface state (SS) in metallic topological compounds. We have chosen three different classes of topological insulators, Bi2Se2.1Te0.9 (BST), Bi2Te3 (BT), and Sb2Te2Se (STS) for our study. The BST sample shows metallic behavior and has p-type bulk charge carriers. From the angle dependence of quantum oscillations and our Berry phase calculations, we have proved the existence of topological SS in the metallic BST sample. Based on the frequency analyses at high field, up to 35 T, the SS quantum oscillations dominate at low magnetic field and the surface to bulk state cross-over of oscillations takes place at higher magnetic field. The physical origin of the SS in the BST metallic sample can be understood as the low position of the Fermi energy measured from the Dirac point; however, it still cuts the two valence band maxima in the band structure explaining the bulk metallic property. We have found the existence of weak antilocalization (WAL) in the three BT metallic single crystals with different bulk charge carriers. From the angle dependence of the WAL, we found that the topological SS dominates in the samples having lower bulk carriers. From our Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka analyses, we have found a larger number of conduction channels and a smaller phase coherence length in the samples having more bulk carriers as compared to those having less bulk carriers. Similar magnetoresistance measurements have been carried out in the p-type metallic STS sample in high- field up to 31 T. The angle dependence of quantum oscillations and the Berry phase calculations also show the dominance of topological SS. The physical origin of topological SS in the STS sample can be understood the same way as in the BTS sample.
dc.description.departmentPhysics, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationPortions of this document appear in: Shrestha, Keshav, Vera Marinova, Bernd Lorenz, and Paul CW Chu. "Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations from topological surface states of metallic Bi 2 Se 2.1 Te 0.9." Physical Review B 90, no. 24 (2014): 241111.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/4881
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. UH Libraries has secured permission to reproduce any and all previously published materials contained in the work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectTopological insulator
dc.subjectSurface States
dc.subjectQuantum Oscillations
dc.subjectMetallic Topological Insulators
dc.subjectWeak Antilocalization in toplogical insulators
dc.subjectBerry Phase
dc.subjectLifshitz Kosevich Analysis
dc.titleMagnetotransport Studies on Topological Insulators
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
thesis.degree.departmentPhysics, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplinePhysics
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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