Revealing the topological phase diagram of ZrTe5 using the complex strain fields of microbubbles

Abstract Topological materials host robust properties, unaffected by microscopic perturbations, owing to the global topological properties of bulk electron system. Materials in which invariant can be changed easily tuning external parameters are especially sought after. Zirconium pentatelluride (ZrTe 5 ) is one a few experimentally available that reside close boundary phase transition, allowing switching its mechanical strain. Here, we unambiguously identify insulator–metal transition as function strain, combination ab initio calculations and direct measurements local charge density. Our model quantitatively describes response complex strain patterns found bubbles layer ZrTe without fitting parameters, reproducing deformation-dependent closing band gap observed using scanning tunneling microscopy. We calculate diagram at equilibrium, enabling design device architectures, exploit characteristics