Simple mechanisms that impede the Berry phase identification from magneto-oscillations

Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. 2018. Vol. 97. P. 195431-1–195431-8.

Kuntsevich A., Shupletsov A. V., Minkov G. M.

The phase of quantum magneto-oscillations is often associated with the Berry phase and is widely used to
argue in favor of topological nontriviality of the system (Berry phase 2πn + π). Nevertheless, the experimentally
determined value may deviate from 2πn + π arbitrarily, therefore more care should be made analyzing the
phase of magneto-oscillations to distinguish trivial systems from nontrivial. In this paper we suggest two
simple mechanisms dramatically affecting the experimentally observed value of the phase in three-dimensional
topological insulators: (i) magnetic field dependence of the chemical potential, and (ii) possible nonuniformity of
the system. Thesemechanisms are not limited to topological insulators and can be extended to other topologically
trivial and nontrivial systems.

Keywords: graphene, графен, topological insulators, топологический изолятор, Berry phase, фаза Берри, quantum magnetooscillations, квантовые магнитоосцилляции

Publication based on the results of: Developments in condensed-matter physics (2018)