Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Nematic Insulators near Quantum Spin Hall Phase Transitions

Abstract

We study the phase diagram of a model quantum spin Hall system as a function of band inversion and band-coupling strength, demonstrating that when band hybridization is weak, an interaction-induced nematic insulator state emerges over a wide range of band inversion. This property is a consequence of the long-range Coulomb interaction, which favors interband phase coherence that is weakly dependent on momentum and therefore frustrated by the single-particle Hamiltonian at the band inversion point. For weak band hybridization, interactions convert the continuous gap closing topological phase transition at inversion into a pair of continuous phase transitions bounding a state with broken time-reversal and rotational symmetries. At intermediate band hybridization, the topological phase transition proceeds instead via a quantum anomalous Hall insulator state, whereas at strong hybridization interactions play no role. We comment on the implications of our findings for InAs/GaSb and HgTe/CdTe quantum spin Hall systems.

5 pages, 3 figures plus 4 pages supplemental material, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters

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• Keldysh field theory of dynamical exciton condensation transitions in nonequilibrium electron-hole bilayers
• Floquet topological transitions in extended Kane-Mele models with disorder
• In-plane magnetic field induced density wave states near quantum spin Hall phase transitions
• Interplay of quantum spin Hall effect and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking in electron-hole bilayers I: Transport properties
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• Interplay of quantum spin Hall effect and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking in electron-hole bilayers II: Zero-field topological superconductivity
• Coulomb effects on topological band inversion in the moiré of WSe${}_2$/BAs heterobilayer
• Quantum Enhanced Josephson Junction Field-Effect Transistors for Logic Applications
• Topological and magnetic properties of the interacting Bernevig-Hughes-Zhang model
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• Magneto-Induced Topological Phase Transition in Inverted InAs/GaSb Bilayers
• Exciton Condensation in Landau Levels of Quantum Spin Hall Insulators
• Identifying topological excitonic insulators via bulk-edge correspondence
• A monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide as a topological excitonic insulator
• Realization of independent contacts in barrier-separated InAs/GaSb quantum wells
• Nematic order in topological SYK models
• Excitonic and magnetic phases in doped WTe${}_2$ monolayers: a Hartree-Fock approach