Abstract
We study an exotic state which is localized only at an intersection of edges of a topological material. This "edge-of-edge" state is shown to exist generically. We construct explicitly generic edge-of-edge states in five-dimensional Weyl semimetals and their dimensional reductions, such as four-dimensional topological insulators of class A and three-dimensional chiral topological insulators of class AIII. The existence of the edge-of-edge state is due to a topological charge of the edge states. The notion of the Berry connection is generalized to include the space of all possible boundary conditions, where Chern-Simons forms are shown to be nontrivial.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 165443 |
Journal | Physical Review B |
Volume | 95 |
Issue number | 16 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 Apr 25 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Condensed Matter Physics