IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v10y2019i1d10.1038_s41467-019-10372-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Superconductivity from the condensation of topological defects in a quantum spin-Hall insulator

Author

Listed:
  • Yuhai Liu

    (Beijing Normal University)

  • Zhenjiu Wang

    (Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland)

  • Toshihiro Sato

    (Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland)

  • Martin Hohenadler

    (Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland)

  • Chong Wang

    (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)

  • Wenan Guo

    (Beijing Normal University
    Beijing Computational Science Research Center)

  • Fakher F. Assaad

    (Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland)

Abstract

The discovery of quantum spin-Hall (QSH) insulators has brought topology to the forefront of condensed matter physics. While a QSH state from spin-orbit coupling can be fully understood in terms of band theory, fascinating many-body effects are expected if it instead results from spontaneous symmetry breaking. Here, we introduce a model of interacting Dirac fermions where a QSH state is dynamically generated. Our tuning parameter further allows us to destabilize the QSH state in favour of a superconducting state through proliferation of charge-2e topological defects. This route to superconductivity put forward by Grover and Senthil is an instance of a deconfined quantum critical point (DQCP). Our model offers the possibility to study DQCPs without a second length scale associated with the reduced symmetry between field theory and lattice realization and, by construction, is amenable to large-scale fermion quantum Monte Carlo simulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuhai Liu & Zhenjiu Wang & Toshihiro Sato & Martin Hohenadler & Chong Wang & Wenan Guo & Fakher F. Assaad, 2019. "Superconductivity from the condensation of topological defects in a quantum spin-Hall insulator," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10372-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10372-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10372-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-019-10372-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10372-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.