We theoretically study the Hofstadter butterfly of a triangular network model in minimally twisted bilayer graphene. The band structure manifests periodicity in energy, mimicking that of Floquet systems. The butterfly diagrams provide fingerprints of the model parameters and reveal the hidden band topology. In a strong magnetic field, we establish that minimally twisted bilayer graphene realizes low-energy Floquet topological insulators (FTIs) carrying zero Chern number, while hosting chiral edge states in bulk gaps. We identify the FTIs by analyzing the nontrivial spectral flow in the Hofstadter butterfly, and by explicitly computing the chiral edge states. Our theory paves the way for an effective practical realization of FTIs in equilibrium solid-state systems.

• Received 7 May 2020
• Revised 28 July 2020
• Accepted 29 July 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.033271

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society