Bound-states and polarized charged zero modes in three-dimensional topological insulators induced by a magnetic vortex

By coating a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) with a ferromagnetic film supporting an in-plane magnetic vortex, one breaks the time-reversal symmetry (TRS) without generating a mass gap. It rather yields electronic states bound to the vortex center which have different probabilities associated with each spin mode. In addition, its associate current (around the vortex center) is partially polarized with an energy gap separating the most excited bound state from the scattered ones. Charged zero-modes also appear as fully polarized modes localized near the vortex center. From the magnetic point of view, the observation of such a special current in a TI-magnet sandwich comes about as an alternative technique for detecting magnetic vortices in magnetic thin films.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, new version with more discussions and results accepted for publication in The European Physical Journal

Remarks on Charged Vortices in the Maxwell-Chern-Simons Model

We study vortex-like configuration in Maxwell-Chern-Simons Electrodynamics. Attention is paid to the similarity it shares with the Nielsen-Olesen solutions at large distances. A magnetic symmetry between a point-like and an azimuthal-like current in this framework is also pointed out. Furthermore, we address the issue of a neutral and spinless particle interacting with a charged vortex, and obtain that the Aharonov-Casher-type phase depends upon mass and distance parameters.Comment: New refs. added. Version accepted for publication in Phys. Lett.

Huyghens Principle, Planck Law: Peculiarities in the Behavior of Planar Photons

Huyghens principle and Planck law are studied in Maxwell and Maxwell-Chern-Simons frameworks in (2+1) dimensions. Contrary to (3+1) dimensions, massless photons are shown to violate Huyghens principle in planar world. In addition, we obtain that Planck law is no longer proportional to $\nu^3$, but to the squared frequency, $\nu^2$, of the planar photons. We also briefly discuss possible physical consequences of these results.Comment: 10 pages, no figures. Latex forma

On Phase Transition and Vortex Stability in the Generalized XY Models

We study a recent generalization proposed for the XY model in two and three dimensions. Using both, the continuum limit and discrete lattice, we obtained the vortex configuration and shown that out-of-plane vortex solutions are deeply jeopardized whenever the parameter of generalization, $L$, is increased. The critical temperature for such models is calculated using the self consistent harmonic approximation. In both, two- and three-dimensional cases, such a temperature decreases with raising $L$. Our results are also compared with other approximated methods available in the literature.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Magnetic vortex-like excitations on a sphere

We study magnetic vortex-like solutions lying on the spherical surface. The simplest cylindrically symmetric vortex presents two cores (instead of one, like in open surfaces) with same charge, so repealing each other. However, the net vorticity is computed to vanish in accordance with Gauss theorem. We also address the problem of a flat plane in which a conical, a pseudospherical and a hemispherical segments were incorporated. In this case, if we allow the vortex to move without appreciable deformation in this support, then it is attracted by the conical apex and by the pseudosphere as well, while it is repealed by the hemisphere. This suggests that such surfaces could be viewed as pinning and depinning geometries for those excitations. Spherical harmonics coreless solutions are discussed within some details.Comment: 15 pages, 8 .eps figures, typed in tex. Version accepted in Physics Letters A (2007), please see DOI