Quantum oscillations defy expectations in ZrTe5 topological insulator

September 5, 2026 at 09:18 AM2 min

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A study in Nature Communications reports unusual quantum oscillations in zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe5) at temperatures near 0.7 kelvin and magnetic fields up to 60 tesla. The research, led by the University of São Paulo with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Washington, reveals that topological insulators may transport electron spin alongside charge.

Key Facts

The study was published in Nature Communications and led by the University of São Paulo with Los Alamos National Laboratory and the University of Washington.
Experiments were conducted at magnetic fields up to 60 tesla and temperatures near 0.7 kelvin (-272.45 °C).
Julio Larrea Jiménez, professor at USP's Physics Institute and director of LQMEC, stated that the work suggests topological insulators transport electron spin as well as charge.
Cauê Kaufmann Ribeiro, first author and doctoral student of Larrea, performed much of the experimental work during an internship at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Los Alamos.

The Material and Its Properties

Topological insulators have interiors that act as electrical insulators while their surfaces conduct electricity. This behavior arises from the topology of their electronic bands, which are protected by crystal symmetries. ZrTe5 sits close to the boundary separating different topological phases, making its electronic behavior highly sensitive to temperature, deformation, composition, and magnetic field. That sensitivity has made ZrTe5 an important material for studying topological phase transitions and relativistic quasiparticles in solids.

Quantum Oscillations and Landau Levels

In a magnetic field, electron energies are restricted to discrete Landau levels, named after Soviet physicist Lev Landau (1908-1968). In very pure metals, Landau levels repeatedly cross the Fermi level, producing Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in electrical resistance. These oscillations normally follow a predictable periodic pattern in 1/B, where B is the magnetic field. The new study reveals an unusual form of quantum oscillation in ZrTe5 that defies this expected behavior.