Double quantum spin Hall phase in bilayer ZrTe$_5$

Abstract

Quantum spin Hall insulators (QSH) are topological materials that host helical edge states protected against backscattering, making them ideal candidates for dissipationless spin transport. Within the conventional $\mathbb{Z}_2$ classification, only phases with an odd number of edge state pairs ($\mathbb{Z}_2 = 1$) are topologically nontrivial, whereas even-channel systems ($\mathbb{Z}_2 = 0$) lie beyond this framework but can host robust edge transport characterized by a spin Chern number. Experimentally accessible realizations of such phases remain rare, particularly in systems with sizeable band gaps. Here, we show that bilayer ZrTe$_5$ realizes a double quantum spin Hall phase in its energetically most stable structure. Using first principles calculations, we demonstrate that uniaxial strain drives a transition from this phase to a conventional single pair QSH phase with $\mathbb{Z}_2 = 1$. The double QSH phase hosts two pairs of helical edge states, resulting in enhanced edge conductance and a quantized spin Hall response that remains robust over an energy window of up to $\sim$100 meV. These results establish bilayer ZrTe$_5$ as a tunable platform connecting conventional and double QSH phases within a single material. More broadly, they demonstrate that untwisted van der Waals bilayers can host topological phases beyond the conventional $\mathbb{Z}_2$ classification.