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A topological characterization of delocalization in a spin-orbit coupling system

D. N. Sheng, Z. Y. Weng

cond-matarXiv:cond-mat/9609147

Abstract

We show that wavefunctions in a two-dimensional (2D) electron system with spin-orbit coupling can be characterized by a topological quantity--the Chern integer due to the existence of the intrinsic Kramers degeneracy. The localization-delocalization transition in such a system is studied in terms of such a Chern number description, which reproduces the known metal-insulator transition point. The present work suggests a unified picture for various known 2D delocalization phenomena based on the same topological characterization.

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