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Title: 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:
 [1];  [1]
  1. 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}
}

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Cited by: 16 works
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Works referencing / citing this record:

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