High magnetic fields coax new discoveries from topological insulators

(PhysOrg.com) -- Using one of the most powerful magnets in the world, a small group of researchers has successfully isolated signs of electrical current flowing along the surface of a topological insulator, an exotic material with promising electrical properties. The research, led by James Analytis and Ian Fisher of the Stanford Institute of Materials and Energy Sciences, a joint SLAC-Stanford institute, was published Sunday in Nature Physics. The results provide a new window into how current flows in these exotic materials, which conduct current with almost no resistance along the exterior, while acting as insulators at the interior. At least in theory.

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