Models for the phase transition between a Fermi liquid and fractional Chern insulator

ORAL

Abstract

A partially filled band with nonzero Chern density can support fractional quantum Hall states (``fractional Chern insulators'') as a consequence of repulsive interactions between electrons. In the absence of this repulsion, the ground state is generically a simple band metal with an anomalous Hall effect. There are several possible scenarios for a second-order transition between metallic and quantum Hall states, which can be approached as a composite-fermion band crossing, a coupling between Luttinger liquids, or via a parton construction. We discuss the extent to which these scenarios lead to different predictions and test those predictions by density-matrix renormalization group calculations.

–

Authors

  • Joel Moore

    University of California, Berkeley, CA, Univesity of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Michael Zaletel

    UC Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley

  • Siddharth Parameswaran

    UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, University of California, Berkeley