Fabry-P\'erot resonant vortices and magnetoconductance in topological insulator constrictions with magnetic barriers

Abstract

The edge states of two-dimensional time-reversal topological insulators support a perfect helical conductance on wide ribbons due to the absence of backscattering. Here, we study the changes in the transport properties of topological insulator nanoribbons by introducing a constriction along the ribbon. This setup allows the edge states to hybridize, leading to reflections at the ends of the constriction. We find that the electronic states running along one edge can be reflected back along the opposite edge multiple times, giving rise to Fabry-P\'erot resonant vortices within the constriction with well-defined conductance peaks. We show that magnetic barriers allow one to manipulate these peaks and obtain significant changes in the system spin-resolved magnetoconductance.