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Flat-band materials such as the kagome metals or moiré superlattices are of intense current interest. Flat bands can result from the electron motion on numerous (special) lattices and usually exhibit topological properties. Their reduced bandwidth proportionally enhances the effect of Coulomb interaction, even when the absolute magnitude of the latter is relatively small. Seemingly unrelated to these materials is the large family of strongly correlated electron systems, which include the heavy-fermion compounds, and cuprate and pnictide superconductors. In addition to itinerant electrons from large, strongly overlapping orbitals, they frequently contain electrons from more localized orbitals, which are subject to a large Coulomb interaction. The question then arises as to what commonality in the physical properties and microscopic physics, if any, exists between these two broad categories of materials. A rapidly increasing body of strikingly similar phenomena across the different platforms — from electronic localization–delocalization transitions to strange-metal behaviour and unconventional superconductivity — suggests that similar underlying principles could be at play. Indeed, it has recently been suggested that flat-band physics can be understood in terms of Kondo physics. Inversely, the concept of electronic topology from lattice symmetry, which is fundamental in flat-band systems, is enriching the field of strongly correlated electron systems, in which correlation-driven topological phases are increasingly being investigated. In this Perspective article, we elucidate this connection, survey the new opportunities for cross-fertilization across platforms and assess the prospect for new insights that may be gained into correlation physics and its intersection with electronic topology.
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Emergent flat band and topological Kondo semimetal driven by orbital-selective correlations
Flat electronic bands are expected to show proportionally enhanced electron correlations, which may generate a plethora of novel quantum phases and unusual low-energy excitations. They are increasingly being pursued in d-electron-based systems with crystalline lattices that feature destructive electronic interference, where they are often topological. Such flat bands, though, are generically located far away from the Fermi energy, which limits their capacity to partake in the low-energy physics. Here we show that electron correlations produce emergent flat bands that are pinned to the Fermi energy. We demonstrate this effect within a Hubbard model, in the regime described by Wannier orbitals where an effective Kondo description arises through orbital-selective Mott correlations. Moreover, the correlation effect cooperates with symmetry constraints to produce a topological Kondo semimetal. Our results motivate a novel design principle for Weyl Kondo semimetals in a new setting, viz. d-electron-based materials on suitable crystal lattices, and uncover interconnections among seemingly disparate systems that may inspire fresh understandings and realizations of correlated topological effects in quantum materials and beyond.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1942447
- PAR ID:
- 10591177
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Communications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nature Communications
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2041-1723
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49306-w
