title: Quantum spin Hall effect and topological phase transition in HgTe quantum wells.
abstract: We show that the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect, a state of matter with topological properties distinct from those of conventional insulators, can be realized in mercury telluride-cadmium telluride semiconductor quantum wells. When the thickness of the quantum well is varied, the electronic state changes from a normal to an "inverted" type at a critical thickness d(c). We show that this transition is a topological quantum phase transition between a conventional insulating phase and a phase exhibiting the QSH effect with a single pair of helical edge states. We also discuss methods for experimental detection of the QSH effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: B Andrei
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bernevig
authors.forename: Taylor L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Shou-Cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Zhang