Generating quantum multi-criticality in topological insulators by periodic driving

Abstract

We demonstrate that the prototypical two-dimensional Chern insulator hosts exotic quantum multi-criticality in the presence of an appropriate periodic driving: a linear Dirac-like transition coexists with a nodal loop-like transition caused by emerging symmetries. The existence of multiple universality classes and scaling laws can be unambiguously captured by a single renormalization group approach based on the stroboscopic Floquet Hamiltonian, regardless of whether the topological transition is associated with the anomalous edge modes or not.