Tuning Kinetic Magnetism of Strongly Correlated Electrons via Staggered Flux

Abstract

We explore the kinetic magnetism of the infinite-$U$ repulsive Hubbard models at low hole densities on various lattices with nearest-neighbor hopping integrals modulated by a staggered magnetic flux $\pm\phi$. Tuning $\phi$ from 0 to $\pi$ makes the ground state (GS) change from a Nagaoka-type ferromagnetic state to a Haerter-Shastry-type antiferromagnetic state at a critical $\phi_c$, with both states being of kinetic origin. Intra-plaquette spin correlation, as well as the GS energy, signals such a quantum criticality. This tunable kinetic magnetism is generic, and appears in chains, ladders and two-dimensional lattices with squares or triangles as elementary constituents.