arXiv subjects

Robert Peters

Publications and source records attributed to Robert Peters.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Quantum metric on the Brillouin Zone in correlated electron systems and its relation to topology for Chern insulators

Geometric aspects of physics play a crucial role in modern condensed matter physics. The quantum metric is one of these geometric quantities which defines the distance on a parameter space and contributes to various physical phenomena, such as superconductivity and nonlinear conductivity. Despite its importance, the quantum metric in interacting systems is poorly understood. In this paper, we introduce a generalized quantum metric(GQM) on the Brillouin zone for correlated electron systems. This quantum metric is based on the optical conductivity that is written by single-particle Green's functions. We analytically prove that this definition is equivalent to the existing definition of the quantum metric in noninteracting systems and that it is positive semi-definite as necessary for a metric. Furthermore, we point out the relationship between the GQM and the Chern number in interacting systems. We then numerically confirm these properties of the GQM in the Qi-Wu-Zhang model with and without interaction. We believe that the GQM will be a step toward generalizing the quantum metric to the interacting regime.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Quantum theory of the Intrinsic Orbital Magnetoelectric Effect in itinerant electron systems at finite temperatures

Magnetization can be induced by an electric field in systems without inversion symmetry $\mathcal{P}$ and time-reversal symmetry $\mathcal{T}$. This phenomenon is called the magnetoelectric (ME) effect. The spin ME effect has been actively studied in multiferroics. The orbital ME effect also exists and has been mainly discussed in topological insulators at zero temperature. In this paper, we study the intrinsic orbital ME response in metals at finite temperature using the Kubo formula. The intrinsic response originates from the Fermi sea and does not depend on the dissipation. Especially in systems with $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry, the extrinsic orbital ME effect becomes zero, and the intrinsic ME effect is dominant. We apply the response tensor obtained in this work to a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric model Hamiltonian with antiferromagnetic loop current order demonstrating that the intrinsic ME effect is enhanced around the Dirac points.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Orbital Gravito-Magnetoelectric response and Orbital magnetic quadrupole moment correction

The magnetoelectric effect has been actively studied in multiferroics since the first observation in an antiferromagnetic, $\mathrm{Cr_2O_3}$. This effect appears in systems without spatial inversion symmetry and time-reversal symmetry and is sensitive to detecting magnetic quadrupole moments. It is often discussed as inducing spin magnetizations; however, the orbital magnetoelectric effect in metals has recently attracted much attention since its observation in $\mathrm{MoS_2}$ and twisted bilayer graphene. In this work, we propose the full quantum formalism for the temperature gradient induced-orbital magnetoelectric effect (orbital gravito-ME effect). The effect consists of two parts, i.e., an extrinsic part and an intrinsic part. We demonstrate that the intrinsic part needs a correction from the orbital magnetic quadrupole moment besides the usual Kubo formula to avoid an unphysical divergence at zero temperature and to satisfy the Mott relation. Furthermore, we show the classification table with the magnetic point group for the intrinsic and extrinsic effects. Finally, we analyze the intrinsic part in a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric model exhibiting an orbital magnetization order, i.e., a loop current order, and demonstrate the enhancement near Dirac points. We believe that these results will contribute to the detection and usage of orbital magnetic moments beyond spin moments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Surface exceptional points in a topological Kondo insulator

Correlated materials have appeared as an arena to study non-Hermitian effects as typically exemplified by the emergence of exceptional points. We show here that topological Kondo insulators are an ideal platform for studying these phenomena due to strong correlations and surface states exhibiting a nontrivial spin texture. Using numerical simulations, we demonstrate the emergence of exceptional points in the single-particle Green's function on the surface of the material while the bulk is still insulating. We reveal how quasiparticle states with long lifetimes are created on the surface by non-Hermitian effects while the Dirac cones are smeared, which explains the surface Kondo breakdown at which heavy Dirac cones disappear from the single-particle spectrum and are replaced by light states. We further show how the non-Hermiticty changes the spin texture inherent in the surface states, which might help identify exceptional points experimentally. Besides confirming the existence of non-Hermitian effects on the surface of a topological Kondo insulator, this paper demonstrates how the eigenstates and eigenvalues of the effective non-Hermitian matrix describing the single-particle Green's function help understand the properties of correlated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Magnetism of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

We investigate magnetic instabilities in charge-neutral twisted bilayer graphene close to so-called "magic angles" using a combination of real-space Hartree-Fock and dynamical mean-field theories. In view of the large size of the unit cell close to magic angles, we examine a previously proposed rescaling that permits to mimic the same underlying flat minibands at larger twist angles. We find that localized magnetic states emerge for values of the Coulomb interaction $U$ that are significantly smaller than what would be required to render an isolated layer antiferromagnetic. However, this effect is overestimated in the rescaled system, hinting at a complex interplay of flatness of the minibands close to the Fermi level and the spatial extent of the corresponding localized states. Our findings shed new light on perspectives for experimental realization of magnetic states in charge-neutral twisted bilayer graphene.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Nonlinear response induced by Ferromagnetism in a Noncentrosymmetric Kondo Lattice system

Recently, nonlinear responses have been actively studied in both experiments and theory. Particularly interesting are inversion-symmetry broken systems, where an even-order nonlinear electrical conductivity can be nonzero, resulting in nonreciprocity. Second-order nonlinear conductivities attract much attention because of their sensitivity to detect inversion-symmetry breaking in materials and their functionalities. However, while the nonlinear response has been actively studied in noninteracting systems for a long time, the nonlinear response in strongly correlated materials is still poorly understood. This paper analyzes the nonlinear conductivity in a correlated noncentrosymmetric system, namely a Kondo lattice system with Rashba type spin-orbit coupling. We mainly focus on the ferromagnetic phase, in which the second-order nonlinear conductivity becomes finite. Remarkably, we find that the second-order conductivity becomes only finite perpendicular to the ferromagnetic magnetization and has a strong spin dependence; due to a gap at the Fermi energy for one spin direction, the linear and nonlinear conductivity is only finite for the ungapped spin direction. Finally, we analyze sign changes in the nonlinear conductivity, which can be explained by a combination of correlation effects and the energetic shift due to the occurring ferromagnetism.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Effects of renormalization and non-Hermiticity on nonlinear responses in strongly-correlated electron systems

Nonlinear responses in condensed matter are intensively studied because they provide rich information about materials and hold the possibility of being applied in diodes or high-frequency optical devices. While nonlinear responses in noninteracting models have been explored widely, the effect of strong correlations on the nonlinear response is still poorly understood, even though it has been suggested that correlations can enhance the nonlinear response. In this work, we first give an analytical derivation of nonlinear responses using the Green's function methods at finite temperature. Then, we discuss the difficulties of considering dissipation using conventional methods, such as the reduced density matrix method. We reveal that the relaxation time approximation leads to severe limitations when considering optical responses. Finally, we demonstrate that correlation effects, such as the renormalization of the band structure and different lifetime in orbitals or sublattices, can significantly enhance nonlinear responses and can even change the sign of the nonlinear conductivity.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Mott transition and magnetism in a fragile topological insulator

We study the effects of electronic correlations on fragile topology using dynamical mean-field theory. Fragile topological insulators (FTIs) offer obstruction to the formation of exponentially localized Wannier functions, but they can be trivialized by adding certain trivial degrees of freedom. For the same reason, FTIs do not host symmetry-protected flow of edge states between bulk bands in cylindrical boundary conditions but are expected to have a spectral flow between the fragile bands and other bands under certain twisted boundary conditions. We here analyze commonly observed effects of strong correlations, such as the Mott-insulator transition and magnetism, on a known model hosting fragile topology. We show that in the nonmagnetic case, fragile topology, along with the twisted boundary states, is stable with interactions below a critical interaction strength. Above this interaction strength, a transition to the Mott insulating phase occurs, and the twisted boundary states disappear. Furthermore, by applying a homogeneous magnetic field, the fragile topology is destroyed. However, we show that a magnetic field can induce a topological phase transition which converts a fragile topological insulator to a Chern insulator. Finally, we study ferromagnetic solutions of the fragile topological model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Effects of strong correlations on the nonlinear response in Weyl-Kondo semimetals

Nonlinear responses give rise to various exciting phenomena, which are forbidden in linear responses. Among them, one of the most fascinating phenomena is the recently observed giant spontaneous Hall effect in $\mathrm{Ce_{3}Bi_{4}Pd_{3}}$. This material is a promising candidate for a Weyl-Kondo semimetal, and this experiment implies that strong correlation effects can enhance the nonlinear Hall effect. However, most theoretical studies on nonlinear responses have been limited to free systems, and the connection between nonlinear responses and strong correlation effects is poorly understood. Motivated by these experiments and recent theoretical advances to analyze strong correlation effects on the nonlinear response, we study a periodic Anderson model describing $\mathrm{Ce_{3}Bi_{4}Pd_{3}}$ using the dynamical mean-field theory. We calculate the nonlinear longitudinal conductivity and the nonlinear Hall conductivity using the Kubo formula extended to the nonlinear response regime and clarify their temperature dependences. We numerically show that strong correlations can enhance nonlinear conductivities, and we conclude that the magnitude of the experimentally observed giant nonlinear Hall effect can be explained by strong correlation effects.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Edge magnetic properties of black phosphorene nanoribbons

The magnetic properties of black phosphorene nanoribbons are investigated using static and dynamical mean-field theory. Besides confirming the existence of ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic edge magnetism, our detailed calculations using large unit-cells find a phase-transition at weak interaction strength to an incommensurate (IC) magnetic phase. A detailed Fourier analysis of the magnetization patterns in the IC phase shows the existence of a second critical interaction strength, where the incommensurate phase changes to an antiferromagnetic (AFM) or ferromagnetic (FM) phase. We demonstrate that the difference of the ground state energies of the AFM and FM phase is exponentially small, making it possible to switch between both states by a small external field. Finally, we analyze the influence of strain and disorder on the magnetic properties and show that while the IC phase is robust to Anderson type disorder, it is fragile against strain.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Exceptional points in the one-dimensional Hubbard model

Non-Hermitian phenomena offer a novel approach to analyze and interpret spectra in the presence of interactions. Using the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG), we demonstrate the existence of exceptional points for the one-particle Green's function of the 1D alternating Hubbard chain with chiral symmetry, with a corresponding Fermi arc at zero frequency in the spectrum. They result from the non-Hermiticity of the effective Hamiltonian describing the Green's function and only appear at finite temperature. They are robust and can be topologically characterized by the zeroth Chern number. This effect illustrates a case where temperature has a strong effect in 1D beyond the simple broadening of spectral features. Finally, we demonstrate that exceptional points appear even in the two-particle Green's function (charge structure factor) where an effective Hamiltonian is difficult to establish, but move away from zero frequency due to a distinct symmetry constraint.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Spin-caloritronic transport in hexagonal graphene nanoflakes

We investigate the spin-dependent thermoelectric effect of graphene flakes with magnetic edges in the ballistic regime. Employing static, respectively, dynamic mean-field theory we first show that magnetism appears at the zigzag edges for a window of Coulomb interactions that increases significantly with increasing flake size. We then use the Landauer formalism in the framework of the non-equilibrium Green's function method to calculate the spin and charge currents in magnetic hexagonal graphene flakes by varying the temperature of the junction for different flake sizes. While in non-magnetic gated graphene the temperature gradient drives a charge current, we observe a significant spin current for hexagonal graphene flakes with magnetic zigzag edges. Specifically, we show that in the "meta" configuration of a hexagonal flake subject to weak Coulomb interactions, a pure spin current can be driven just by a temperature gradient in a temperature range that is promising for device applications. Bigger flakes are found to yield a bigger window of Coulomb interactions where such spin currents are induced by the magnetic zigzag edges, and larger values of the current.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

The Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice: from static and dynamical mean-field theories to lattice quantum Monte Carlo simulations

We study the one-band Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice using a combination of quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations and static as well as dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). This model is known to show a quantum phase transition between a Dirac semi-metal and the antiferromagnetic insulator. The aim of this article is to provide a detailed comparison between these approaches by computing static properties, notably ground-state energy, single-particle gap, double occupancy, and staggered magnetization, as well as dynamical quantities such as the single-particle spectral function. At the static mean-field level local moments cannot be generated without breaking the SU(2) spin symmetry. The DMFT approximation accounts for temporal fluctuations, thus captures both the evolution of the double occupancy and the resulting local moment formation in the paramagnetic phase. As a consequence, the DMFT approximation is found to be very accurate in the Dirac semi-metallic phase where local moment formation is present and the spin correlation length small. However, in the vicinity of the fermion quantum critical point the spin correlation length diverges and the spontaneous SU(2) symmetry breaking leads to low-lying Goldstone modes in the magnetically ordered phase. The impact of these spin fluctuations on the single-particle spectral function -- \textit{waterfall} features and narrow spin-polaron bands -- is only visible in the lattice QMC approach.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Exceptional band touching for strongly correlated systems in equilibrium

Quasi-particles described by Green's functions of equilibrium systems exhibit non-Hermitian topological phenomena because of their finite lifetime. This non-Hermitian perspective on equilibrium systems provides new insights into correlated systems and attracts much interest because of its potential to solve open questions in correlated compounds. In this paper, we provide a concise review of the non-Hermitian topological band structures for quantum many-body systems in equilibrium as well as their classification.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Equivalence of the effective non-hermitian Hamiltonians in the context of open quantum systems and strongly-correlated electron systems

Recently, it has become clear that non-hermitian phenomena can be observed not only in open quantum systems experiencing gain and loss but also in equilibrium single-particle properties of strongly correlated systems. However, the circumstances and requirements for the emergence of non-hermitian phenomena in each field are entirely different. While the implementation of postselection is a significant obstacle to observe non-hermitian phenomena in open quantum systems, it is unnecessary in strongly correlated systems. Until now, a relation between both descriptions of non-hermitian phenomena has not been revealed. In this paper, we close this gap and demonstrate that the non-hermitian Hamiltonians emerging in both fields are identical, and we clarify the conditions for the emergence of a non-hermitian Hamiltonian in strongly correlated materials. Using this knowledge, we propose a method to analyze non-hermitian properties without the necessity of postselection by studying specific response functions of open quantum systems and strongly correlated systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Quantum oscillations in strongly correlated topological Kondo insulators

The observation of quantum oscillations in topological Kondo insulators SmB6 and YbB12 is a recent puzzling experimental discovery. Quantum oscillations observed in the resistivity and the magnetization are usually explained by the existence of the Fermi surface. However, Kondo insulators do not have a Fermi surface and thus should not show quantum oscillations. By performing dynamical mean-field calculations for topologically nontrivial Kondo insulators in a magnetic field, we analyze the effect of correlations on the emergence of quantum oscillations in narrow-gap topological Kondo insulators and demonstrate that the interplay between correlations and nonlocal hybridization, ubiquitously occurring in topological Kondo insulators, can lead to observable quantum oscillations without the necessity of a Fermi surface. Particularly, we show that correlations make it easier to observe quantum oscillations in the magnetization and the resistivity of the bulk material. The fundamental mechanism for these quantum oscillations is a combination of correlation effects and Landau levels coming very close to the Fermi energy. We furthermore demonstrate that quantum oscillations in a three-dimensional system can be understood by analyzing the physics on the two-dimensional planes in the momentum space for which the hybridization in direction of the magnetic field vanishes. We believe that this scenario is relevant to understanding the observation of quantum oscillations in the magnetic torque for SmB6 as well as oscillations in the resistivity and the magnetic torque of YbB12.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Relation between exceptional points and the Kondo effect in $f$-electron materials

We study the impact of nonhermiticity due to strong correlations in f-electron materials. One of the most remarkable phenomena occurring in nonhermitian systems is the emergence of exceptional points at which the effective nonhermitian Hamiltonian becomes non-diagonalizable. We here demonstrate that Kondo temperature is related to the temperature at which exceptional points appear around the Fermi level. For this purpose, we study the periodic Anderson model with local and nonlocal hybridization in the insulating and metallic regimes. By analyzing the effective nonhermitian Hamiltonian, which describes the single-particle spectral function, and the temperature dependence of the screening of the magnetic moment, from which the Kondo temperature can be found, we show that exceptional points appear at the temperature at which the magnetic moment is screened. These results suggest that the well-known crossover between localized and itinerant f electrons in $f$-electron materials is related to the emergent exceptional points in the single-particle spectral function.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Impact of the Rashba Spin Orbit Coupling on $f$-electron Materials

The combination of strong spin orbit coupling and strong correlations holds tremendous potential for interesting physical phenomena as well as applications in spintronics and quantum computation. In this context, we here study the interplay between the Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) and the Kondo screening in noncentrosymmetric $f$-electron materials. We show that the Kondo coupling of the $f$-electrons becomes anisotropic at high temperatures due to the RSOC. However, an isotropic Kondo effect is restored at low temperature which leads to a complete Kondo screening. We furthermore demonstrate that the Kondo effect has influence on the Rashba splitting in the band structure, which becomes temperature dependent. Although the $f$-electrons are localized at high temperature, a helical spin polarization of the conduction band emerges due to the scattering with the $f$-electrons. With decreasing temperature, the Kondo screening occurs, which leads to drastic changes in the band structure. Remarkably, these changes in the band structure depend on the helical spin polarization. For strong RSOC, we observe that the hybridization gap of one of the helical bands is closed at low temperature and a helical half-metal is formed.

cond-mat.str-el↗