Pseudo-relativistic fermions and topological states in zinc-blende semiconductors and their heterostructures (Habilitation thesis)
Abstract
Tracing my scientific path from many-body physics in semiconductor nanostructures to topological quantum matter, this Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) memoir presents only part of my research since defending two PhD theses in Toulouse and Nizhny Novgorod in 2011. Focusing on pseudo-relativistic fermions and topological states in zinc-blende semiconductors and their heterostructures, it highlights my independent research program: identifying physical problems, developing predictive theories, and initiating new directions with experimentalists. The first part addresses Kane fermions in bulk HgCdTe: temperature-driven band inversion, domain-wall states, the collapse of Landau levels in crossed electric and magnetic fields, and disorder-induced topological transitions. The second examines pressure-, temperature-, and disorder-driven phase transitions in single and double HgTe quantum wells (QWs), including bilayer-graphene-like semimetals and a two-dimensional higher-order topological insulator (2D HOTI) phase beyond the minimal BHZ model. The third develops three-layer InAs/Ga(In)Sb QWs as a III-V platform for massless Dirac fermions, large-gap quantum spin Hall insulators, 2D HOTI phases, and semimetals with quadratic band touching, and discusses InAsxSb1−x/InAsySb1−y heterostructures as a promising alternative. Several of these predictions are supported by experimental observations, including quantized helical edge transport up to 60 K and the unconventional quantum Hall effect. Defended on March 25, 2026, at the University of Montpellier. Jury: Michel GOIRAN (chair and rapporteur, LNCMI-CNRS, Toulouse); Alexey KAVOKIN (rapporteur, Westlake University, Hangzhou); Robson FERREIRA (rapporteur, LPENS-CNRS, Paris); Alexei BARANOV (member, IES-CNRS, Montpellier); Benoit JOUAULT and Frédéric TEPPE (members, L2C-CNRS, Montpellier).
Related
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- Effect of Annealing on Maze Domains in Topological Insulator - Magnetic Multilayer Heterostructures
- Hierarchy of topological superconductivity generated via heterostructures of unconventional p-wave magnets
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BibTeX
@misc{krishtopenko2026pseudorelativistic,
title = {{Pseudo-relativistic fermions and topological states in zinc-blende semiconductors and their heterostructures (Habilitation thesis)}},
author = {Sergey S. Krishtopenko},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.19140},
eprint = {2610.19140},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.19140},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Pseudo-relativistic fermions and topological states in zinc-blende semiconductors and their heterostructures (Habilitation thesis)
AU - Sergey S. Krishtopenko
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.19140
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.19140
AB - Tracing my scientific path from many-body physics in semiconductor nanostructures to topological quantum matter, this Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) memoir presents only part of my research since defending two PhD theses in Toulouse and Nizhny Novgorod in 2011. Focusing on pseudo-relativistic fermions and topological states in zinc-blende semiconductors and their heterostructures, it highlights my independent research program: identifying physical problems, developing predictive theories, and initiating new directions with experimentalists. The first part addresses Kane fermions in bulk HgCdTe: temperature-driven band inversion, domain-wall states, the collapse of Landau levels in crossed electric and magnetic fields, and disorder-induced topological transitions. The second examines pressure-, temperature-, and disorder-driven phase transitions in single and double HgTe quantum wells (QWs), including bilayer-graphene-like semimetals and a two-dimensional higher-order topological insulator (2D HOTI) phase beyond the minimal BHZ model. The third develops three-layer InAs/Ga(In)Sb QWs as a III-V platform for massless Dirac fermions, large-gap quantum spin Hall insulators, 2D HOTI phases, and semimetals with quadratic band touching, and discusses InAs_xSb_1−x/InAs_ySb_1−y heterostructures as a promising alternative. Several of these predictions are supported by experimental observations, including quantized helical edge transport up to 60 K and the unconventional quantum Hall effect. Defended on March 25, 2026, at the University of Montpellier. Jury: Michel GOIRAN (chair and rapporteur, LNCMI-CNRS, Toulouse); Alexey KAVOKIN (rapporteur, Westlake University, Hangzhou); Robson FERREIRA (rapporteur, LPENS-CNRS, Paris); Alexei BARANOV (member, IES-CNRS, Montpellier); Benoit JOUAULT and Frédéric TEPPE (members, L2C-CNRS, Montpellier).
ER -