Switchable Quantum Anomalous Hall state in a strongly frustrated lattice magnet

Abstract

We establish that the interplay of itinerant fermions with localized magnetic moments on a checkerboard lattice leads to magnetic flux-phases. For weak itineracy the flux-phase is coplanar and the electronic dispersion takes the shape of graphene-like Dirac fermions. Stronger itineracy drives the formation of a non-coplanar, chiral flux-phase, in which the Dirac fermions acquire a topological mass that is proportional to a ferromagnetic spin polarization. Consequently the system self-organizes into a ferromagnetic Quantum Anomalous Hall state in which the direction of its dissipationless edge-currents can be switched by an applied magnetic field.