Volkov-Pankratov (VP) states are a family of sub-gap states that appear at the smooth interface/domain wall between topologically distinct gaped states. We carry out quantum transport simulations on one- and two-dimensional lattice models to demonstrate the emergence of such states in the edge spectrum of a quantum spin Hall system subjected to a smoothly varying exchange field that switches its sign at a given spatial point. We show the VP states possess non-trivial spin textures that can be characterized by a winding number in real space. It is further demonstrated that the application of an electric field along the edge provides control of this spin texture without altering the winding number. Finally, we illuminate how these spin textures can be read off via the local tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) response of spin-polarized tunnel probes attached to the edge and the TMR can be controlled by purely electrical means akin to a Datta-Das type spin transistor.

We investigate helical edge states emerging at the composite domain wall of spin and pseudospin degrees of freedom in a two-dimensional (2D) bulk governed by the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian which underwent quantum spin Hall to anomalous Hall transition. We numerically study the stability of Majorana bound states (MBSs) formed due to proximity-induced superconductivity in these helical edge states. We establish the robustness of MBSs against moderate chemical potential or magnetic disorder owing to the existence of the simultaneous orthogonality between the right and the left moving modes in both spin and pseudospin space. Hence our proposal could pave the way to realizing robust Majorana bound states on 2D platforms.

We investigate helical edge states (HES) emerging at the composite domain wall of spin and pseudo-spin degrees of freedom in a 2-D bulk governed by the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian which underwent quantum spin Hall to anomalous Hall transition. We numerically study the stability of Majorana bound state (MBS) formed due to proximity induced superconductivity in these helical edge states. We establish exceptional robustness of MBS against moderate chemical potential or magnetic disorder owing to the existence of the simultaneous orthogonality between the right and the left moving modes both in spin and pseudo-spin space. Hence our proposal could pave the way to realizing robust Majorana bound state on 2D platforms.

Optimal choice of spin polarization enables electron injection into the helical edge state at a precise position, despite the uncertainty principle, permitting access to specific nonlocal Green's functions. We show, within 1D effective description, that this fact facilitates a direct identification of odd-frequency pairing through parity measurement (under frequency reversal) of the nonlocal differential conductance in a setup comprising the Josephson junction on the helical edge state of a 2D topological insulator with two spin-polarized probes tunnel-coupled to the junction region. A 2D numerical simulation has also been conducted to confirm theoretical predictions as well as to demonstrate the experimental feasibility of the proposal.

A hybrid setup consisting of a superconductivity-proximitized quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator and a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator is proposed for chiral injection of electrons into the Majorana bound state (MBS). An unexplored region of the phase space involving the exchange field induced boost of the helical edge state is then proposed for the detection of the MBS. 2-D transport simulations of our proposed setup is compared with the corresponding setup in the absence of the QAH region, when moderate disorder and a small but finite bulk out-of-plane magnetic field and a Rashba field are included. The remarkable contrast between the two results demonstrates the possibility for an unprecedented immunity from disorder-induced masking of the MBS detection in our proposed setup.

Theoretical models of a spin-polarized voltage probe (SPVP) tunnel-coupled to the helical edge states (HES) of a quantum spin Hall system (QSHS) are studied. Our first model of the SPVP comprises NP spin-polarized modes (subprobes), each of which is locally tunnel-coupled to the HES, while the SPVP, as a whole, is subjected to a self-consistency condition ensuring zero average current on the probe. We carry out a numerical analysis which shows that the optimal situation for reading off spin-resolved voltage from the HES depends on the interplay of the probe-edge tunnel-coupling and the number of modes in the probe (NP ). We further investigate the stability of our findings by introducing Gaussian fluctuations in (i) the tunnel-coupling between the subprobes and the HES about a chosen average value and (ii) spin-polarization of the subprobes about a chosen direction of the net polarization of SPVP. We also perform a numerical analysis corresponding to the situation where four such SPVPs are implemented in a self-consistent fashion across a ferromagnetic barrier on the HES and demonstrate that this model facilitates the measurements of spin-resolved four-probe voltage drops across the ferromagnetic barrier. As a second model, we employ the edge state of a quantum anomalous Hall state (QAHS) as the SPVP which is tunnel-coupled over an extended region with the HES. A two-dimensional lattice simulation for the quantum transport of the proposed device setup comprising a junction of QSHS and QAHS is considered and a feasibility study of using the edge of the QAHS as an efficient spin-polarized voltage probe is carried out in presence of an optimal strength of the disorder.

Volkov-Pankratov (VP) states are a family of sub-gap states which appear at the smooth interface/domain wall between topologically distinct gapped states. We study the emergence of such states in the edge spectrum of a quantum spin Hall system subjected to a smoothly varying mass term (Zeeman field) that switches sign at a given spatial point. Both the VP states at non-zero energy and the zero energy Jackiw-Rebbi mode stay localized at the interfacial region, however, the former feature several distinctive signatures compared to the latter such as non-trivial spin textures that can be characterized by a winding number in real space. On applying an electric field, the texture deforms leaving its winding number unaltered. Moreover, the VP states exhibit an intriguing interplay between the electric and the magnetic field with a collapse of the spectrum onto the zero mode when they are equal in magnitude. Quantum transport simulations on a 2D lattice model are performed to undergird our theoretical prediction.

Topological protection of edge state in quantum spin Hall systems relies only on time-reversal symmetry. Hence, S-z conservation on the edge can be relaxed which can have an interferometric manifestation in terms of spin Berry phase. Primarily it could lead to the generation of spin Berry phase arising from a closed loop dynamics of electrons. Our work provides a minimal framework to generate and detect these effects by employing both spin-unpolarized and spin-polarized leads. We show that spin-polarized leads could lead to resonances or antiresonances in the two-terminal conductance of the interferometer. We further show that the positions of these antiresonances (as a function of energy of the incident electron) get shifted owing to the presence of spin Berry phase. Finally, we present simulations of a device setup using KWANT package which put our theoretical predictions on a firm footing.