• Letter

Flat topological bands and eigenstate criticality in a quasiperiodic insulator

Yixing Fu, Justin H. Wilson, and J. H. Pixley
Phys. Rev. B 104, L041106 – Published 15 July 2021
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Abstract

The effects of downfolding a Brillouin zone can open gaps and quench the kinetic energy by flattening bands. Quasiperiodic systems are extreme examples of this process, which leads to new phases and critical eigenstates. We analytically and numerically investigate these effects in a two-dimensional topological insulator with a quasiperiodic potential and discover a complex phase diagram. We study the nature of the resulting eigenstate quantum phase transitions; a quasiperiodic potential can make a trivial insulator topological and induce topological insulator-to-metal phase transitions through a unique universality class distinct from random systems. This wealth of critical behavior occurs concomitantly with the quenching of the kinetic energy, resulting in flat topological bands that could serve as a platform to realize the fractional quantum Hall effect without a magnetic field.

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  • Received 14 April 2020
  • Revised 11 April 2021
  • Accepted 25 June 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.104.L041106

©2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Yixing Fu1, Justin H. Wilson1, and J. H. Pixley1,2,3

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA
  • 2Center for Computational Quantum Physics, Flatiron Institute, 162 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10010, USA
  • 3Physics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA

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Issue

Vol. 104, Iss. 4 — 15 July 2021

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