Electrical tuning of helical edge states in topological multilayers.

Mainstream among topological insulators, GaSb/InAs quantum wells present a broken gap alignment for the energy bands which supports the quantum spin Hall insulator phase and forms an important building block in the search of exotic states of matter. Such structures allow the band-gap inversion with electrons and holes confined in adjacent layers, providing a fertile ground to tune the corresponding topological properties. Using a full 3D eight-band [Formula: see text] method we investigate the inverted band structure of GaSb/InAs/GaSb and InAs/GaSb/InAs multilayers and the behavior of the helical edge states, under the influence of an electric field applied along the growth direction. By tuning the electric field modulus, we induce the change of the energy levels of both conduction and valence bands, resulting in a quantum spin Hall insulator phase where the helical edge states are predominantly confined in the GaSb layer. In particular, we found that InAs/GaSb/InAs has a large hybridization gap of about [Formula: see text] and, therefore, are promising to observe massless Dirac fermions with a large Fermi velocity. Our comprehensive characterization of GaSb/InAs multilayers creates a basis platform upon which further optimization of III-V heterostructures can be contrasted.

Spin polarization of Co(0001)/graphene junctions from first principles.

Junctions comprised of ferromagnets and nonmagnetic materials are one of the key building blocks in spintronics. With the recent breakthroughs of spin injection in ferromagnet/graphene junctions it is possible to consider spin-based applications that are not limited to magnetoresistive effects. However, for critical studies of such structures it is crucial to establish accurate predictive methods that would yield atomically resolved information on interfacial properties. By focusing on Co(0001)/graphene junctions and their electronic structure, we illustrate the inequivalence of different spin polarizations. We show atomically resolved spin polarization maps as a useful approach to assess the relevance of Co(0001)/graphene for different spintronics applications.