1. Callan-Rubakov effects in topological insulators
- Author
-
Nakai, Yusuke O., Dsouza, Reuel, Nakamura, Daichi, Hamanaka, Shu, Schnyder, Andreas P., and Sato, Masatoshi
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics ,Condensed Matter - Materials Science ,Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons ,Condensed Matter - Superconductivity ,High Energy Physics - Theory - Abstract
The Callan-Rubakov effect describes monopole-catalyzed proton decay. While this effect is fundamental for quantum field theories, its experimental observation has remained far from reality. Here, we reveal a similar, but experimentally reachable, defect-catalysis of the quantum anomaly in topological materials. In particular, surface Dirac fermions on topological insulators develop a distinct localized state at the position of dislocations or $\pi$-fluxes, which mediates spin-flip time-reversal breaking scattering or absorption of electrons. Despite the Hermiticity of topological insulators, a non-Hermitian topological number guarantees the robust existence of the localized state. Our finding implies that non-magnetic defects may behave like magnetic impurities on surfaces of topological insulators. Using the K-theory classification, we generalize this condensed-matter version of the Callan-Rubakov effect to other classes of topological materials., Comment: 7+8 pages, 3+7 figures, 1+2 table
- Published
- 2025