1/4 is the new 1/2 when topology is intertwined with Mottness.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37752137.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-41465-6 and PMC identifier 10522641.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
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.