Fluctuation-driven topological Hund insulators

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jan Carl Budich - , Stockholm University (Author)
  • Björn Trauzettel - , University of Würzburg (Author)
  • Giorgio Sangiovanni - , University of Würzburg (Author)

Abstract

We investigate the role of electron-electron interaction in a two-band Hubbard model based on the Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang Hamiltonian exhibiting the quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect. By means of dynamical mean-field theory, we find that a system with topologically trivial noninteracting parameters can be driven into a QSH phase at finite interaction strength by virtue of local dynamical fluctuations. For very strong interaction, the system reenters a trivial insulating phase by going through a Mott transition. We obtain the phase diagram of our model by direct calculation of the bulk topological invariant of the interacting system in terms of its single-particle Green's function.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number235104
JournalPhysical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Volume87
Issue number23
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jun 2013
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes