Crystalline axion electrodynamics in charge-ordered Dirac semimetals

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: May-Mann, Julian, Hirsbrunner, Mark R., Gioia, Lei, Hughes, Taylor L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author May-Mann, Julian
Hirsbrunner, Mark R.
Gioia, Lei
Hughes, Taylor L.
author_facet May-Mann, Julian
Hirsbrunner, Mark R.
Gioia, Lei
Hughes, Taylor L.
contents Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals can be driven into an insulating state by coupling to a charge density wave (CDW) order. Here, we consider the quantized crystalline responses of such charge-ordered Dirac semimetals, which we dub Dirac-CDW insulators, in which charge is bound to disclination defects of the lattice. Using analytic and numeric methods we show the following. First, when the CDW is lattice-commensurate, disclination-line defects of the lattice have a quantized charge per length. Second, when the CDW is inversion-symmetric, disclinations of the lattice have a quantized electric polarization. Third, when the CDW is lattice-commensurate and inversion-symmetric, disclinations are characterized by a "disclination filling anomaly" -- a quantized difference in the total charge bound to disclination-lines of Dirac-CDW with open and periodic boundaries. We construct an effective response theory that captures the topological responses of the Dirac-CDW insulators in terms of a total derivative term, denoted the $R\wedge F$ term. The $R\wedge F$ term describes the crystalline analog of the axion electrodynamics that are found in Weyl semimetal-CDW insulators. We also use the crystalline responses and corresponding response theories to classify the strongly correlated topological phases of three-dimensions Dirac-semimetals.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_00055
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Crystalline axion electrodynamics in charge-ordered Dirac semimetals
May-Mann, Julian
Hirsbrunner, Mark R.
Gioia, Lei
Hughes, Taylor L.
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals can be driven into an insulating state by coupling to a charge density wave (CDW) order. Here, we consider the quantized crystalline responses of such charge-ordered Dirac semimetals, which we dub Dirac-CDW insulators, in which charge is bound to disclination defects of the lattice. Using analytic and numeric methods we show the following. First, when the CDW is lattice-commensurate, disclination-line defects of the lattice have a quantized charge per length. Second, when the CDW is inversion-symmetric, disclinations of the lattice have a quantized electric polarization. Third, when the CDW is lattice-commensurate and inversion-symmetric, disclinations are characterized by a "disclination filling anomaly" -- a quantized difference in the total charge bound to disclination-lines of Dirac-CDW with open and periodic boundaries. We construct an effective response theory that captures the topological responses of the Dirac-CDW insulators in terms of a total derivative term, denoted the $R\wedge F$ term. The $R\wedge F$ term describes the crystalline analog of the axion electrodynamics that are found in Weyl semimetal-CDW insulators. We also use the crystalline responses and corresponding response theories to classify the strongly correlated topological phases of three-dimensions Dirac-semimetals.
title Crystalline axion electrodynamics in charge-ordered Dirac semimetals
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.00055