Topological Insulators from Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking Induced by Electron Correlation on Pyrochlore Lattices
Abstract
We study an extended Hubbard model with the nearest-neighbor Coulomb interaction on the pyrochlore lattice at half filling. An interaction-driven insulating phase with nontrivial Z2 invariants emerges at the Hartree-Fock mean-field level in the phase diagram. This topological insulator phase competes with other ordered states and survives in a parameter region surrounded by a semimetal, antiferromagnetic and charge ordered insulators. The symmetries of these phases are group-theoretically analyzed. We also show that the ferromagnetic interaction enhances the stability of the topological phase.
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