Dynamic impurities in two-dimensional topological-insulator edge states

Abstract

Helical edge states of two-dimensional topological insulators show a gap in the density of states (DOS) and suppressed conductance in the presence of ordered magnetic impurities. Here we will consider the dynamical effects on the DOS and transmission when the magnetic impurities are driven periodically. Using the Floquet formalism and Green's functions, the system properties are studied as a function of the driving frequency and the potential energy contribution of the impurities. We see that increasing the potential part closes the DOS gap for all driving regimes. The transmission gap is also closed, showing a pronounced asymmetry as a function of energy. These features indicate that the dynamical transport properties could yield valuable information about the magnetic impurities.