Theory of a topological analogue of the magnetic bit

Abstract

In magnetic memories, the state of a ferromagnet is encoded in the orientation of its magnetization. The energy of the system is minimized when the magnetization is parallel or antiparallel to a preferred (easy) axis. These two stable directions define the logical bit. Under an external perturbation, the direction of magnetization can be controllably reversed and thus the bit flipped. Here, we theoretically design a topological analogue of the magnetic bit in the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH)-Holstein model, where we show that a transient external perturbation can lead to a permanent change in the electronic band topology.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure