An Exactly Solvable Model with a Tunable Mott Gap without Broken Symmetry

Philip Phillips, Luke Yeo, Edwin W. Huang

M W Long, S C Y Siak

We present a new class of exactly solvable spin models. The solutions involve broken translational symmetry, in contrast to the Haldane gap, and constitute a new type of ground state for a spin-one chain. The models have ground states with precipitously short-range spin correlations and exhibit gaps to solitonic spin excitations. We construct a solvable model for each value of the total spin of the underlying atoms, with the solution corresponding to the natural generalization to the Majumdar-Ghosh state, of 'dimer' pairing, to larger spin magnitudes.

Wayne Zheng, Yuan-Ming Lu

Arianna Montorsi, Mario Rasetti

Peizhi Mai, Jinchao Zhao, Benjamin E. Feldman +1 more

In non-interacting systems, bands from non-trivial topology emerge strictly at half-filling and exhibit either the quantum anomalous Hall or spin Hall effects. Here we show using determinantal quantum Monte Carlo and an exactly solvable strongly interacting model that these topological states now shift to quarter filling. A topological Mott insulator is the underlying cause. The peak in the spin susceptibility is consistent with a possible ferromagnetic state at T = 0. The onset of such magnetism would convert the quantum spin Hall to a quantum anomalous Hall effect. While such a symmetry-broken phase typically is accompanied by a gap, we find that the interaction strength must exceed a critical value for this to occur. Hence, we predict that topology can obtain in a gapless phase but only in the presence of interactions in dispersive bands. These results explain the recent quarter-filled quantum anomalous Hall effects seen in moiré systems.

M. A. Contínentino, Mauricio D. Coutinho-Filho