• Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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• 2014.03a
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• pp.516-520
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• 2014

Fractional quantum Hall Effect (FQSH) is one of most fundamental issues in condensed matter physics, and the Topological insulator becomes its prominent applications. This article reviews the general frameworks of these development and the physical properties. FQSH states and topological insulators are supposed to be topologically invariant under the minor change of geometrical shape or internal impurities. The phase transitions involved in this phenomena are known not to be explained in terms of symmetry breaking or Landau-Ginsburg theory. The new type of phase transitions related to topological invariants has acquired new name - topological phase transition. The intuitive concepts and the other area having same type of phase transitions are discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.272.1-272.1
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• 2016

In a three-dimensional topological insulator Bi2Se3, a stress control for band gap manipulation was predicted but no systematic investigation has been performed yet due to the requirement of large external stress. We report herein on the strain-dependent results for Bi2Se3 films of various thicknesses that are grown via a self-organized ordering process. Using small angle X-ray scattering and Raman spectroscopy, the changes of d-spacings in the crystal structure and phonon vibration shifts resulted from stress are clearly observed when the film thickness is below ten quintuple layers. From the UV photoemission/inverse photoemission spectroscopy (UPS/IPES) results and ab initio calculations, significant changes of the Fermi level and band gap were observed. The deformed band structure also exhibits a Van Hove singularity at specific energies in the UV absorption experiment and ab initio calculations. Our results, including the synthesis of a strained ultrathin topological insulator, suggest a new direction for electronic and spintronic applications for the future.

• Vacuum Magazine
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-17
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• 2018

Phase transition is not unique to solid state systems or homogeneous molecular systems but it is also observed in highly heterogeneous biological systems. Phase transition and phase separation in cells are recently being found to be central to many biological functions by temporarily and locally controlling the storage and exchange of certain proteins and RNAs. There are also clues suggesting them to be playing pivotal roles in the spatial organization of chromosomes into topological domains and its time-dependent control. Here we introduce early efforts to explain at the molecular level how the spatiotemporal organization of chromosomes are programmed and modulated by the sequence and chemical modifications of the DNA. Continuing works may provide a physical framework to understand the molecular level control of chromosome structure and dynamics that determine the epigenetic state and the fate of the cells.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.139.2-139.2
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• 2016

Electrons and phonons in chalcogenide-based materials play are important factors in the performance of an optical data storage media and thermoelectric devices. However, the fundamental kinetics of carriers in chalcogenide materials remains controversial, and active debate continues over the mechanism responsible for carrier relaxation. In this study, we investigated ultrafast carrier dynamics in an multilayered $\{Sb(3{\AA})/Te(9{\AA})\}n$ thin film during the transition from the amorphous to the crystalline phase using optical pump terahertz probe spectroscopy (OPTP), which permits the relationship between structural phase transition and optical property transitions to be examined. Using THz-TDS, we demonstrated that optical conductance and carrier concentration change as a function of annealing temperature with a contact-free optical technique. Moreover, we observed that the topological surface state (TSS) affects the degree of enhancement of carrier lifetime, which is closely related to the degree of spin-orbit coupling (SOC). The combination of an optical technique and a proposed carrier relaxation mechanism provides a powerful tool for monitoring TSS and SOC. Consequently, the response of the amorphous phase is dominated by an electron-phonon coupling effect, while that of the crystalline structure is controlled by a Dirac surface state and SOC effects. These results are important for understanding the fundamental physics of phase change materials and for optimizing and designing materials with better performance in optoelectronic devices.