Nonequilibrium-induced quantum fluctuations in resistive phase transition

We investigate the quantum mechanical origin of resistive phase transitions in solids driven by a constant electric field in the vicinity of a metal-insulator transition. The mean-field theory [1] showed that the self-consistent Landau-Zener mechanism reproduced main experimental features, and we show that it is equivalent to the empirical resistor network theories based on electronic scenarios applicable to systems like VO₂. Despite the qualitative agreement, reliable quantitative predictions for the switching electric-field has remained elusive. Theoretical estimates based on the Landau-Zener mechanism are typically orders of magnitude larger than experimentally observed threshold electric-fields of kV/cm for the insulator-to-metal transition in transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. We investigate the similarities between the resistive switching and the charge-density-wave (CDW) system. Motivated by the CDW theories, we construct a Lagrangian for the gap parameter and investigate the role of the quantum fluctuations to the gap parameter as a quantum variable. We discuss how quantum corrections affect the nonequilibrium resistive transition.

[1] J. E. Han, J. Li, C. Aron, and G. Kotliar, Phys. Rev. B 98, 035145 (2018).