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The spin–orbit interaction affects the electronic structure of many solids to give rise to a host of unusual phenomena. Bahramyet al.theoretically examine its role in the non-centrosymmetric compound BiTeI, and find that under the application of pressure, it leads to topologically insulating behaviour.

The surface electronic structure of bismuth-chalchogenide topological insulators interfaced to air or other materials has complex features not predicted by theory. Bahramy et al. propose a model explaining the origin of these electronic states, and uncover their rich spin texture by circular dichroism experiments.

The realization of the anomalous Hall effect in high-mobility two dimensional electron systems has so far remained elusive. Here, the authors observe its emergence in MgZnO/ZnO heterostructures and attribute it to skew scattering of electrons by localized paramagnetic centres.

The origin of intertwined electronic orders in transition-metal dichalcogenides has long been debated. Here, Bawden et al. report that the normal state, from which these phases emerge, is unexpectedly spin-polarized, with spins locked to both valley and layer pseudospins.

The knowledge of how electrons behave under magnetic field provides inherent information for exotic quantum states. Here, Fu et al. find different g-factors of topological surface states in Bi₂Se₃ and Sb₂Te₂Se, which suggests possible control of such states in spin-related applications.

A very large Rashba-type spin splitting, which is a consequence of spin–orbit interaction, has been observed in the heavy-element semiconductor BiTeI. The results show the possibility, in principle, of using the material in spintronics devices in which the electron spin is controlled by electric currents.

Type-I and type-II bulk Dirac cones and ladders of topological surface states are shown to form in six different transition-metal dichalcogenides.

Angle-resolved photoemission measurements of electron-doped layers of tungsten diselenide reveal signatures of negative electronic compressibility that survive to much higher carrier densities than in conventional 2D electron gases.

The coupling between spin, valley and layer degrees of freedom in transition-metal dichalcogenides is shown to give rise to spin-polarized electron states, providing opportunities to create and manipulate spin and valley polarizations in bulk solids.

Observation of quantum phenomena in correlated electron systems is challenging due to low mobility and high concentration of carriers. Here, Matsubara et al. report a two-dimensional electron system with high mobility-low carrier density in δ-doped SrTiO₃, demonstrating quantum Hall effect in d-electron systems.

The silver chalcogenide semimetals are known for their appealing magnetoresistive properties. It is now shown that when copper silver selenide is doped with nickel, these properties are maintained, resulting in high electron mobilities and, in turn, a significant thermoelectric effect.

Two-dimensional electron gases in SrTiO3 offer new insights into the physics of complex oxides and offer the potential for applications in electronics. Here, King et al. show how orbital ordering, spin–orbit coupling and many-body interactions collectively shape the complex properties of these confined electron systems.