By applying pressure to a semiconductor, researchers have been able to transform a semiconductor into a "topological insulator" (TI), an intriguing state of matter in which a material's interior is insulating but its surfaces or edges are conducting with unique electrical properties. This is the first time that researchers have used pressure to gradually "tune" a material into the TI state; as such, the study gives scientists a new route for discovery as they search for TIs that could be used in advanced electronics applications.
The group reports their results in the October 8 online edition of Physical Review Letters. The experiment was performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), with the transition into the TI state confirmed using beams of x-rays and infrared light.
http://phys.org/news/2013-12-pressure-semiconductor-state.html
Thanks for your comment. Do you think helical states atomes have the same property or there is a proper character to distinguish ?
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