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arXiv:1409.7401 · Physical Review B

Exotic quantum phase transitions of strongly interacting topological insulators

Kevin Slagle, Yi‐Zhuang You, Cenke Xu

Published Mar 11, 2015• 78 citations
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Abstract

Using determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that an extended Hubbard model on a bilayer honeycomb lattice has two novel quantum phase transitions. The first is a quantum phase transition between the weakly interacting gapless Dirac fermion phase and a strongly interacting fully gapped and symmetric trivial phase, which cannot be described by the standard Gross-Neveu model. The second is a quantum critical point between a quantum spin Hall insulator with spin ${S}^{z}$ conservation and the previously mentioned strongly interacting fully gapped phase. At the latter quantum critical point the single-particle excitations remain gapped, while spin and charge gaps both close. We argue that the first quantum phase transition is related to the ${\mathbb{Z}}_{16}$ classification of the topological superconductor $^{3}\mathrm{He}\text{\ensuremath{-}}B$ phase with interactions, while the second quantum phase transition is a topological phase transition described by a bosonic $O(4)$ nonlinear sigma model field theory with a $\ensuremath{\Theta}$ term.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.91.115121

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In this thesis we will study recent examples of exotic, topological, and many body localized quantum phase transitions. In Chapter 2 we study the quantum phase transition between the Z_2 spin liquid and valence bond solid (VBS) orders on a triangular lattice. We find a possible nematic Z_2 spin liquid intermediate phase and predict a continuous 3d XY* transition to the neighboring columnar and resonating-plaquette VBS phases. In Chapter 3 we demonstrate that an extended Kane-Mele Hubbard model on a bilayer honeycomb lattice has two novel quantum phase transitions. The first is a quantum phase transition between the weakly interacting gapless Dirac fermion phase and a strongly interacting fully gapped and symmetric trivial phase, which cannot be described by the standard Gross-Neveu model. The second is a quantum critical point between a quantum spin Hall insulator with spin S^z conservation and the previously mentioned strongly interacting fully gapped phase. We argue that the first quantum phase transition is related to the Z_16 classification of the topological superconductor ^3He-B phase with interactions, while the second quantum phase transition is a topological phase transition described by a bosonic O(4) nonlinear sigma model field theory with a Theta-term. In Chapter 4 we propose that if the highest and lowest energy eigenstates of a Hamiltonian belong to different SPT phases, then this Hamiltonian can't be fully many body localized. In Chapter 5 we study the disordered XYZ spin chain and its marginally many body localized critical lines, which we find to be characterized by an effective central charge c'=ln2 and continuously varying critical exponents.
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Motivated by the physics of spin-orbital liquids, we study a model of interacting Dirac fermions on a bilayer honeycomb lattice at half filling, featuring an explicit global SO(3)×\times×U(1) symmetry. Using large-scale auxiliary- field quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations, we locate two zero-temperature phase transitions as function of increasing interaction strength. First, we observe a continuous transition from the weakly-interacting semimetal to a different semimetallic phase in which the SO(3) symmetry is spontaneously broken and where two out of three Dirac cones acquire a mass gap. The associated quantum critical point can be understood in terms of a Gross-Neveu-SO(3) theory. Second, we subsequently observe a transition towards an insulating phase in which the SO(3) symmetry is restored and the U(1) symmetry is spontaneously broken. While strongly first order at the mean-field level, the QMC data is consistent with a direct and continuous transition. It is thus a candidate for a new type of deconfined quantum critical point that features gapless fermionic degrees of freedom.
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The Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice undergoes a quantum phase transition from a semimetallic to a Mott insulating phase and from a disordered to an anti-ferromagnetically phase. We show that these transitions occur simultaneously and we calculate the critical coupling Uc=3.835(14)U_c=3.835(14)Uc​=3.835(14) as well as the critical exponents ν=1.181(43)\nu=1.181(43)ν=1.181(43) and β=0.898(37)\beta= 0.898(37)β=0.898(37) which are expected to fall into the SU(2)SU(2)SU(2) Gross-Neveu universality class. For this we employ Hybrid Monte Carlo simulations, extrapolate the single particle gap and the spin structure factors to the thermodynamic and continuous time limits, and perform a data collapse fit. We also determine the zero temperature values of single particle gap and staggered magnetisation on both sides of the phase transition.