Topological end states due to inhomogeneous strains in wrinkled semiconducting ribbons

Abstract

We show that curvature-induced inhomogeneous strain distributions in nanoscale buckled semiconducting ribbons lead to the existence of end states which are topologically protected by inversion symmetry. These end-state doublets, corresponding to the so-called Maue-Shockley states, are robust against weak disorder. By identifying and calculating the corresponding topological invariants, we further show that a buckled semiconducting ribbon undergoes topological phase transitions between trivial and non-trivial insulating phases by varying its real space geometry.