Two-dimensional electron gas with six-fold symmetry at the (111) surface of KTaO3.

Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at transition-metal oxide (TMO) interfaces, and boundary states in topological insulators, are being intensively investigated. The former system harbors superconductivity, large magneto-resistance, and ferromagnetism. In the latter, honeycomb-lattice geometry plus bulk spin-orbit interactions lead to topologically protected spin-polarized bands.