Engineering high Chern number insulators

Abstract

The concept of Chern insulators is one of the most important building block of topological physics, enabling the quantum Hall effect without external magnetic fields. The construction of Chern insulators has been typically through an guess-and-confirm approach, which can be inefficient and unpredictable. In this paper, we introduce a systematic method to directly construct two-dimensional Chern insulators that can provide any nontrivial Chern number. Our method is built upon the one-dimensional Rice–Mele model, which is well known for its adjustable polarization properties, providing a reliable framework for manipulation. By extending this model into two dimensions, we are able to engineer lattice structures that demonstrate predetermined topological quantities effectively. This research not only contributes the development of Chern insulators but also paves the way for designing a variety of lattice structures with significant topological implications, potentially impacting quantum computing and materials science. With this approach, we are to shed light on the pathways for designing more complex and functional topological phases in synthetic materials.