Topological classification of interaction-driven spin pumps

Dganit Meidan, Tobias Micklitz, Piet W. Brouwer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

When adiabatically varied in time, certain one-dimensional band insulators allow for the quantized noiseless pumping of spin even in the presence of strong spin-orbit scattering. These spin pumps are closely related to the quantum spin Hall system, and their properties are protected by a time-reversal restriction on the pumping cycle. In this paper we study pumps formed of one-dimensional insulators with a time-reversal restriction on the pumping cycle and a bulk energy gap which arises due to interactions. We find that the correlated gapped phase can lead to novel pumping properties. In particular, systems with d different ground states can give rise to d+1 different classes of spin pumps, including a trivial class which does not pump quantized spin and d nontrivial classes allowing for the pumping of quantized spin /n on average per cycle, where 1≤n≤d. We discuss an example of a spin pump that transfers an average of spin /2 without transferring charge.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)075325.1-075325.4
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume84
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 12 Aug 2011
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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