The impact of Rashba spin-orbit coupling in charge-ordered systems

Abstract

We study the impact of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) on the stability of charge-density wave (CDW) in systems with large electron-phonon coupling (EPC). Here, the EPC is considered in the framework of the Holstein model at the half-filled square lattice. We start obtaining the phase diagram of the Rashba-Holstein model using the Hartree-Fock mean-field theory, and identifying the boundaries of the CDW and Rashba metal phases. As our main result, we notice that the RSOC disfavors the CDW phase, driving the system to a correlated Rashba metal. Proceeding, we employ a cluster perturbation theory (CPT) approach to investigate the phase diagram beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation. The quantum correlations captured by CPT indicate that the RSOC is even more detrimental to CDW than previously anticipated. That is, the Rashba metal region is observed to be expanded in comparison to the mean-field case. Additionally, we investigate pairing correlations, and the results further strengthen the identification of critical points.