Perfect flat band with chirality and charge ordering out of strong spin-orbit interaction

Abstract

AbstractSpin-orbit interaction has established itself as a key player in the emergent phenomena in modern condensed matter, including topological insulator, spin liquid and spin-dependent transports. However, its function is rather limited to adding topological nature to band kinetics, leaving behind the growing interest in the direct interplay with electron correlation. Here, we prove by our spinor line graph theory that a very strong spin-orbit interaction realized in 5d pyrochlore electronic systems generates multiply degenerate perfect flat bands. Unlike any of the previous flat bands, the electrons in this band localize in real space by destructively interfering with each other in a spin selective manner governed by the SU(2) gauge field. These electrons avoid the Coulomb interaction by self-organizing their localized wave functions, which may lead to a flat-band state with a stiff spin chirality. It also causes perfectly trimerized charge ordering, which may explain the recently discovered exotic low-temperature insulating phase of CsW2O6.