Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions
Abstract
We study the phase diagram of a model quantum spin Hall system as a function of band inversion and band-coupling strength, demonstrating that when band hybridization is weak, an interaction-induced nematic insulator state emerges over a wide range of band inversion. This property is a consequence of the long-range Coulomb interaction, which favors interband phase coherence that is weakly dependent on momentum and therefore frustrated by the single-particle Hamiltonian at the band inversion point. For weak band hybridization, interactions convert the continuous gap closing topological phase transition at inversion into a pair of continuous phase transitions bounding a state with broken time-reversal and rotational symmetries. At intermediate band hybridization, the topological phase transition proceeds instead via a quantum anomalous Hall insulator state, whereas at strong hybridization interactions play no role. We comment on the implications of our findings for InAs/GaSb and HgTe/CdTe quantum spin Hall systems.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Physics
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1537288
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1436000
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-02ER45958; FG02-ER45958
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 120; Journal Issue: 18; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
Citation Formats
Xue, Fei, and MacDonald, A. H. Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.120.186802.
Xue, Fei, & MacDonald, A. H. Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.120.186802
Xue, Fei, and MacDonald, A. H. Fri .
"Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.120.186802. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1537288.
@article{osti_1537288,
title = {Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions},
author = {Xue, Fei and MacDonald, A. H.},
abstractNote = {We study the phase diagram of a model quantum spin Hall system as a function of band inversion and band-coupling strength, demonstrating that when band hybridization is weak, an interaction-induced nematic insulator state emerges over a wide range of band inversion. This property is a consequence of the long-range Coulomb interaction, which favors interband phase coherence that is weakly dependent on momentum and therefore frustrated by the single-particle Hamiltonian at the band inversion point. For weak band hybridization, interactions convert the continuous gap closing topological phase transition at inversion into a pair of continuous phase transitions bounding a state with broken time-reversal and rotational symmetries. At intermediate band hybridization, the topological phase transition proceeds instead via a quantum anomalous Hall insulator state, whereas at strong hybridization interactions play no role. We comment on the implications of our findings for InAs/GaSb and HgTe/CdTe quantum spin Hall systems.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.120.186802},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 18,
volume = 120,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Fri May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
Web of Science
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