Unprotected edge modes in quantum spin Hall insulator candidate materials

The experiments in quantum spin Hall insulator candidate materials, such as HgTe/CdTe and InAs/GaSb heterostructures, indicate that in addition to the topologically protected helical edge modes, these multilayer heterostructures may also support additional edge states, which can contribute to scattering and transport. We use first-principles calculations to derive an effective tight-binding model for HgTe/CdTe, HgS/CdTe, and InAs/GaSb heterostructures, and we show that all these materials support additional edge states which are sensitive to edge termination. We trace the microscopic origin of these states back to a minimal model supporting flat bands with a nontrivial quantum geometry that gives rise to polarization charges at the edges. We show that the polarization charges transform into additional edge states when the flat bands are coupled to each other and to the other states to form the Hamiltonian describing the full heterostructure. Interestingly, in HgTe/CdTe quantum wells the additional edge states are far away from the Fermi level so that they do not contribute to the transport, but in the HgS/CdTe and InAs/GaSb heterostructures they appear within the bulk energy gap, giving rise to the possibility of multimode edge transport. Finally, we demonstrate that because these additional edge modes are nontopological it is possible to remove them from the bulk energy gap by modifying the edge potential, for example, with the help of a side gate or chemical doping.

Automated summary

Experiments on HgTe/CdTe and InAs/GaSb heterostructures, which are potential candidates for quantum spin Hall insulators, reveal the existence of additional edge states besides the topologically protected helical edge modes. Using first-principles calculations, an effective tight-binding model is derived for these materials, showing that the additional edge states are sensitive to edge termination. These states originate from a minimal model supporting flat bands with nontrivial quantum geometry and give rise to polarization charges at the edges.