Interaction-driven Chern insulator at zero electric field in ABCB-stacked tetralayer graphene
ABCB-stacked tetralayer graphene, with intrinsic spontaneous polarization, offers a unique platform to explore electron correlation effects, whose interplay with spin-orbit coupling may engender topological phases. Here, employing a $\mathbf{k}\cdot\mathbf{p}$ model with self-consistent Hartree-Fock calculations, we investigate its electronic ground states. Remarkably, we find that the intrinsic polarization, in conjunction with strong interactions ($U=8 \text{ eV}$) and SOC, is sufficient to drive a $C=3$ quantum anomalous Hall state, obviating the need for an external electric field typical in ABCA stacks. Conversely, at moderate interactions ($U=6 \text{ eV}$), a minimal electric field is necessary. Furthermore, calculations predict other correlation-driven metallic phases such as quarter- and three-quarter-filled states. These results establish that the synergy of intrinsic polarization, correlations, and SOC governs the rich topological phenomena, suggesting ABCB-stacked graphene as a highly tunable platform for exploring emergent topological phenomena.
Authors
- Yulu Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0446-1915)
- Wanfei Shan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1940-8087)
- Chengyang Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6188-8101)
- Yang Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6838-0925)
- Weidong Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3829-1547)
Institutions
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
- ShanghaiTech University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical review. B./Physical review. B
- Published
- 2025-12-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/kwbk-cctk
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00