Observation of giant non-reciprocal charge transport from quantum Hall states in a topological insulator
摘要
Symmetry breaking in quantum materials is of great importance and can lead to non-reciprocal charge transport. Topological insulators provide a unique platform to study non-reciprocal charge transport due to their surface states, especially quantum Hall states under an external magnetic field. Here we report the observation of non-reciprocal charge transport mediated by quantum Hall states in devices composed of the intrinsic topological insulator Sn–Bi1.1Sb0.9Te2S, which is attributed to asymmetric scattering between quantum Hall states and Dirac surface states. A giant non-reciprocal coefficient of up to 2.26 × 105 A−1 is found. Our work not only reveals the properties of non-reciprocal charge transport of quantum Hall states in topological insulators but also paves the way for future electronic devices.