Floquet Topological Insulators

The discovery of topological insulators has reshaped our understanding
of band structure theory. In these materials the topological properties
of the dispersion and momentum eigenstates necessitate the formation of
surface states amongst other surprising properties. In my talk, I will
review some aspects of topological insulators. Then, I will explain how
such a behavior can be induced in regular materials using a periodic
modulation of the Hamiltonian. The resulting 'Floquet topological
insulators' can be induced using simply using terahertz electro-magnetic
radiation. Schemes to produce 2d and 3d FTI will be explored, as well as
the properties of the resulting state.