Quantum anomalous layer-resolved Hall effect with high Chern number in
Phys. Rev. B 114, 165105 – Published 3 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nxyn-hzpr
Abstract
The essence of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect is that, in the absence of an external magnetic field, the bulk of a material remains insulating while its boundaries host a quantized number of dissipation-free chiral edge channels determined precisely by the Chern number. A high Chern number signifies multiple parallel dissipationless transport pathways, dramatically boosting the efficiency of charge and information transfer. Here, we adopt stacking engineering to implement layer-degree-of-freedom-programmable QAH effects in the A-type antiferromagnetic topological insulator . A perpendicular electric field drives the system reversibly between topologically nontrivial and trivial regimes and further induces a high-Chern-number quantum Hall state accompanied by a multilayer Hall effect, i.e., a robust bilayer current redistribution between surface and middle layers, extending tunability from single to dual layers. Floquet calculations show that circularly polarized light can suppress layer-resolved Hall response; the QAH state depends markedly on the light's helicity, with AB and BA stackings exhibiting opposite responses to left- and right-handed circular polarization. This work establishes a framework for electric- and optical-field control of layer Hall effects, offering materials-compatible theoretical routes and experimental protocols for ultra-low-power topological electronics, layer-resolved memory, and reconfigurable quantum devices.