Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Quantum interference in macroscopic crystals of nonmetallic Bi2Se3
J G Checkelsky1, Y S Hor, M-H Liu
1Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
Abstract:
Photoemission experiments have shown that Bi2Se3 is a topological insulator. By controlled doping, we have obtained crystals of Bi2Se3 with nonmetallic conduction. At low temperatures, we uncover a novel type of magnetofingerprint signal which involves the spin degrees of freedom. Given the mm-sized crystals, the observed amplitude is 200-500x larger than expected from universal conductance fluctuations. The results point to very long phase-breaking lengths in an unusual conductance channel in these nonmetallic samples. We discuss the nature of the in-gap conducting states and their relation to the topological surface states.
Related Concept Videos
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
Determination of Crystal Structures
The de Broglie Wavelength
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects
Symmetry Elements in a Crystal
Crystal Field Theory - Tetrahedral and Square Planar Complexes
Crystal field theory (CFT) is applicable to molecules in geometries other than octahedral. In octahedral complexes, the lobes of the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals point directly at the ligands. For tetrahedral complexes, the d orbitals remain in place, but with only four ligands located between the axes. None of the orbitals points directly at the tetrahedral ligands. However, the dx2−y2 and dz2 orbitals (along the Cartesian axes) overlap with the ligands less than the dxy,...
