Plasmonics in Topological Insulators: Spin–Charge Separation, the Influence of the Inversion Layer, and Phonon–Plasmon Coupling

We demonstrate via three examples that topological insulators (TI) offer a new platform for plasmonics. First, we show that the collective excitations of a thin slab of a TI display spin–charge separation. This gives rise to purely charge-like optical and purely spin-like acoustic plasmons, respectively. Second, we argue that the depletion layer mixes Dirac and Schrödinger electrons, which can lead to novel features such as high modulation depths and interband plasmons. The analysis is based on an extension of the usual formula for optical plasmons that depends on the slab width and on the dielectric constant of the TI. Third, we discuss the coupling of the TI surface phonons to the plasmons and find strong hybridization especially for samples with large slab widths.