Field induced Chern insulating states in twisted monolayer–bilayer graphene

Unraveling the mechanism underlying topological phases, notably the Chern insulators(Ch Is) in strong correlated systems at the microscopy scale, has captivated significant research interest. Nonetheless, Ch Is harboring topological information have not always manifested themselves, owing to the constraints imposed by displacement fields in certain experimental configurations. In this study, we employ density-tuned scanning tunneling microscopy(DT-STM) to investigate the Ch Is in twisted monolayer–bilayer graphene(t MBG). At zero magnetic field, we observe correlated metallic states.While under a magnetic field, a metal–insulator transition happens and an integer Ch I is formed emanating from the filling index s = 3 with a Chern number C = 1. Our results underscore the pivotal role of magnetic fields as a powerful probe for elucidating topological phases in twisted Van der Waals heterostructures.

Filling dependence of correlation exponents and metal-Mott insulator transition in strongly correlated electron systems

Using a universal relation between electron filling factor and ground state energy, this paper studies the dependence of correlation exponents on the electron filling factor of one-dimensional extended Hubbard model in a strong coupling regime, and demonstrates that in contrast to the usual Hubbard model （gc = 1/2）, the dimensionless coupling strength parameter gc heavily depends on the electron filling, and it has a ＂particle-hole＂ symmetry about electron quarter filling point. As increasing the nearest neighbouring repulsive interaction, the single particle spectral weight is transferred from low energy to high energy regimes. Moreover, at electron quarter filling, there is a metal-Mott insulator transition at the strong coupling point gc = 1/4, and this transition is a continuous phase transition.

A first-principles study of the structural and elastic properties of orthorhombic and tetragonal Ca_3Mn_2O_7

The structural and elastic properties of multiferroic Ca3Mn2O7 with ferroelectric orthorhombic （O-phase） and paraelectric tetragonal structures （T-phase） have been studied by first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation （GGA） and the GGA plus Hubbard U approaches （GGA ＋ U）. The calculated theoretical structures are in good agreement with the experimental values. The T-phase is found to be antiferromagnetic （AFM） and the AFM O-phase is more stable than the T-phase, which also agree with the experiments. On these bases, the single-crystal elastic constants （Cijs） and elastic properties of polycrystalline aggregates are investigated for the two phases. Our elasticity calculations indicate Ca3Mn2O7 is mechanically stable against volume expansions. The AFM O-phase is found to be a ductile material, while the AFM T-phase shows brittle nature and tends to be elastically isotropic. We also investigate the influence of strong correlation effects on the elastic properties, qualitatively consistent results are obtained in a reasonable range of values of U. Finally, the ionicity is discussed by Bader analysis. Our work provides useful guidance for the experimental elasticity measurements of Ca3Mn2O7, and makes the strain energy calculation in multiferroic Ca3Mn2O7 thin films possible.

High-order time-reversal symmetry breaking normal state

Spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking plays an important role in studying strongly correlated unconventional superconductors.When two superconducting gap functions with different symmetries compete,the relative phase channel(θ_(-)≡θ_(1)-θ_(2))exhibits an Ising-type Z_(2) symmetry due to the second order Josephson coupling,where θ_(1,2) are the phases of two gap functions.In contrast,the U(1) symmetry in the channel of θ_(+)≡(θ_(1)+θ_(2))/2 is intact.The phase locking,i.e.,ordering of θ_(-),can take place in the phase fluctuation regime before the onset of superconductivity,i.e.,when θ_(+) is disordered.If θ_(-) is pinned at ±π/2,then timereversal symmetry is broken in the normal state,otherwise,if θ_(-)=0,or,π,rotational symmetry is broken,leading to a nematic normal state.In both cases,the order parameters possess a 4-fermion structure beyond the scope of mean-field theory,which can be viewed as a high order symmetry breaking.We employ an effective two-component XY-model assisted by a renormalization group analysis to address this problem.As a natural by-product,we also find the other interesting intermediate phase corresponds to ordering of θ_+ but with θ_(-)disordered.This is the quartetting,or,charge-4e,superconductivity,which occurs above the low temperature Z_(2)-breaking charge-2e superconducting phase.Our results provide useful guidance for studying novel symmetry breaking phases in strongly correlated superconductors.