Electronic and topological properties of a topological insulator sandwiched between ferromagnetic insulators.

We consider a film of a topological insulator (TI) sandwiched between two ferromagnetic (FM) layers. The system is additionally under an external gate voltage. The surface electron states of TI are magnetized due to the magnetic proximity effect to the ferromagnetic layers. The magnetization of ferromagnetic layers can be changed by applying an external magnetic field or by varying thickness of the topological insulator (owing to the interlayer exchange coupling). The change in the magnetic configuration of the system affects the transport properties of the surface electronic states. Using the Green function formalism, we calculate spin polarization, anomalous Hall effect, and magnetoresistance of the system. We show, among others, that by tuning the gate voltage and magnetizations of the top and bottom FM layers, one can observe the topological transition to the quantum anomalous Hall state. • A topological insulator sandwiched between ferromagnetic layers is considered. • Two magnetization configurations of layers (parallel and antiparallel) are studied. • Switching between trivial and topological insulator state under gate voltage is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]