Hinge Spin Polarization in Magnetic Topological Insulators Revealed by Resistance Switch.

We report on the possibility of detecting hinge spin polarization in magnetic topological insulators by resistance measurements. By implementing a three-dimensional model of magnetic topological insulators into a multiterminal device with ferromagnetic contacts near the top surface, local spin features of the chiral edge modes are unveiled. We find local spin polarization at the hinges that inverts the sign between the top and bottom surfaces.

Non-perturbative effects of laser illumination on the electrical properties of graphene nanoribbons.

Floquet theory combined with a realistic description of the electronic structure of illuminated graphene and graphene nanoribbons is developed to assess the emergent non-adiabatic and non-perturbative effects on the electronic properties. Here we introduce an efficient computational scheme and illustrate its use by applying it to graphene nanoribbons in the presence of both linear and circular polarization. The interplay between confinement due to the finite sample size and laser-induced transitions is shown to lead to sharp features in the average conductance and density of states.