{
  "id": "0810.2998",
  "version": "v3",
  "published": "2008-10-16T20:15:01.000Z",
  "updated": "2009-04-06T16:18:37.000Z",
  "title": "Magnetoelectric polarizability and axion electrodynamics in crystalline insulators",
  "authors": [
    "Andrew M. Essin",
    "Joel E. Moore",
    "David Vanderbilt"
  ],
  "comment": "4 pages; minor changes resulting from a change in one reference",
  "journal": "Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 146805 (2009)",
  "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.146805",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.mes-hall",
    "cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
  ],
  "abstract": "The orbital motion of electrons in a three-dimensional solid can generate a pseudoscalar magnetoelectric coupling $\\theta$, a fact we derive for the single-particle case using a recent theory of polarization in weakly inhomogeneous materials. This polarizability $\\theta$ is the same parameter that appears in the \"axion electrodynamics\" Lagrangian $\\Delta{\\cal L}_{EM} = (\\theta e^2 / 2 \\pi h) {\\bf E} \\cdot {\\bf B}$, which is known to describe the unusual magnetoelectric properties of the three-dimensional topological insulator ($\\theta=\\pi$). We compute $\\theta$ for a simple model that accesses the topological insulator and discuss its connection to the surface Hall conductivity. The orbital magnetoelectric polarizability can be generalized to the many-particle wavefunction and defines the 3D topological insulator, like the IQHE, in terms of a topological ground-state response function.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v3",
      "updated": "2009-04-06T16:18:37.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "03.65.Vf",
      "85.75.-d",
      "75.80.+q",
      "73.20.At",
      "73.43.-f"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "axion electrodynamics",
      "crystalline insulators",
      "topological insulator",
      "unusual magnetoelectric properties",
      "surface hall conductivity"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "APS",
      "journal": "Phys. Rev. Lett."
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 4,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 800084,
      "adsabs": "2008arXiv0810.2998E"
    }
  }
}