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Correlated insulator collapse due to quantum avalanche via in-gap ladder states

Author

Listed:
  • Jong E. Han

    (State University of New York at Buffalo)

  • Camille Aron

    (Université Paris Cité
    École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL))

  • Xi Chen

    (State University of New York at Buffalo)

  • Ishiaka Mansaray

    (State University of New York at Buffalo)

  • Jae-Ho Han

    (Institute for Basic Science(IBS))

  • Ki-Seok Kim

    (POSTECH)

  • Michael Randle

    (State University of New York at Buffalo)

  • Jonathan P. Bird

    (State University of New York at Buffalo
    State University of New York at Buffalo)

Abstract

The significant discrepancy observed between the predicted and experimental switching fields in correlated insulators under a DC electric field far-from-equilibrium necessitates a reevaluation of current microscopic understanding. Here we show that an electron avalanche can occur in the bulk limit of such insulators at arbitrarily small electric field by introducing a generic model of electrons coupled to an inelastic medium of phonons. The quantum avalanche arises by the generation of a ladder of in-gap states, created by a multi-phonon emission process. Hot-phonons in the avalanche trigger a premature and partial collapse of the correlated gap. The phonon spectrum dictates the existence of two-stage versus single-stage switching events which we associate with charge-density-wave and Mott resistive phase transitions, respectively. The behavior of electron and phonon temperatures, as well as the temperature dependence of the threshold fields, demonstrates how a crossover between the thermal and quantum switching scenarios emerges within a unified framework of the quantum avalanche.

Suggested Citation

  • Jong E. Han & Camille Aron & Xi Chen & Ishiaka Mansaray & Jae-Ho Han & Ki-Seok Kim & Michael Randle & Jonathan P. Bird, 2023. "Correlated insulator collapse due to quantum avalanche via in-gap ladder states," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-38557-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38557-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. V. Guiot & L. Cario & E. Janod & B. Corraze & V. Ta Phuoc & M. Rozenberg & P. Stoliar & T. Cren & D. Roditchev, 2013. "Avalanche breakdown in GaTa4Se8−xTex narrow-gap Mott insulators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-6, June.
    2. Flavio Giorgianni & Joe Sakai & Stefano Lupi, 2019. "Overcoming the thermal regime for the electric-field driven Mott transition in vanadium sesquioxide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-6, December.
    3. Jubin Nathawat & Ishiaka Mansaray & Kohei Sakanashi & Naoto Wada & Michael D. Randle & Shenchu Yin & Keke He & Nargess Arabchigavkani & Ripudaman Dixit & Bilal Barut & Miao Zhao & Harihara Ramamoorthy, 2023. "Signatures of hot carriers and hot phonons in the re-entrant metallic and semiconducting states of Moiré-gapped graphene," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
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