Quantum phase transitions in the Kane-Mele-Hubbard model
Abstract
We study the two-dimensional Kane-Mele-Hubbard model at half filling by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We present a refined phase boundary for the quantum spin liquid. The topological insulator at finite Hubbard interaction strength is adiabatically connected to the groundstate of the Kane-Mele model. In the presence of spin-orbit coupling, magnetic order at large Hubbard U is restricted to the transverse direction. The transition from the topological band insulator to the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator is in the universality class of the three-dimensional XY model. The numerical data suggest that the spin liquid to topological insulator and spin liquid to Mott insulator transitions are both continuous.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- March 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.85.115132
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1111.3949
- Bibcode:
- 2012PhRvB..85k5132H
- Keywords:
-
- 71.27.+a;
- 03.65.Vf;
- 71.30.+h;
- 75.10.-b;
- Strongly correlated electron systems;
- heavy fermions;
- Phases: geometric;
- dynamic or topological;
- Metal-insulator transitions and other electronic transitions;
- General theory and models of magnetic ordering;
- Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons;
- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 13 pages, 10 figures