Stability of Ferromagnetism in Hubbard models on two-dimensional line graphs

Abstract

It is well known that the Hubbard model on a line graph has a flat band and ferromagnetic ground states in a certain density range. We show that for a Hubbard model on a line graph of a planar bipartite graph the ferromagnetic ground state is stable if one adds a special contribution to the kinetic energy which lifts the degeneracy of the lowest single particle state. Stability holds for sufficiently strong repulsion U. The model has extended single particle eigenstates, no degeneracy, and no band gap. It is therefore a good candidate for metallic ferromagnetism.