2018/12/03 by S. Barbarino, Simone Barbarino, Giorgio Sangiovanni +3
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Lattice (music) #Mathematics #Observable #Phase (matter) #Phase diagram #Phase transition #Physics #Quantum #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum critical point #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Quantum phase transition #Quantum phases #Symmetry protected topological order #Topological Materials and Phenomena #Topological entropy in physics #Topological insulator #Topological order #Topological quantum number #Topology (electrical circuits) #Tricritical point #cond-mat.quant-gas #cond-mat.str-el #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.99.075158
published as Phys. Rev. B 99, 075158 (2019)
arxiv created 2018/12/03 · openalex created_date 2018/12/11 · openalex publication_date 2019/02/27 · arxiv updated 2019/03/06 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We report on the discovery of a quantum tricritical point (QTP) separating a line of first-order topological quantum phase transitions from a continuous transition regime in a strongly correlated one-dimensional lattice system. Specifically, we study a fermionic four-leg ladder supporting a symmetry-protected topological insulator phase in the presence of on-site interaction, which is driven towards a trivial gapped phase by a nearest-neighbor interaction. Based on DMRG simulations, we show that, as a function of the interaction strength, the phase transition between the topological and the trivial phase switches from being continuous to exhibiting a first-order character. Remarkably, the QTP as well as the first-order character of the topological transition in the strongly correlated regime are found to clearly manifest in simple local observables.