Time-Reversal Phase Transition at the Edge of 3d Topological Band Insulator

Abstract

We study the time reversal (T) symmetry breaking of 2d helical fermi liquid, with application to the edge states of 3d topological band insulators with only one two-component Dirac fermion at finite chemical potential, as well as other systems with spin-orbit coupling. The T-breaking Ising order parameter is not over-damped and the theory is different from the ordinary Hertz-Millis theory for order parameters at zero momentum. We argue that the T-breaking phase transition is an 3d Ising transition, and the quasiparticles are well-defined in the quantum critical regime.