Modeling multiorbital effects in Sr2IrO4 under strain and a Zeeman field
Abstract
We present a comprehensive study of a three-orbital lattice model suitable for the layered iridate Sr2IrO4. Our analysis includes various on-site interactions (including Hubbard and Hund's) as well as compressive strain, and a Zeeman magnetic field. We use a self-consistent mean field approach with multiple order parameters to characterize the resulting phases. While in some parameter regimes the compound is well described by an effective J=1/2 model, in other regimes the full multiorbital description is needed. As a function of the compressive strain, we uncover two quantum phase transitions: first a continuous metal-insulator transition, and subsequently a first order magnetic melting of the antiferromagnetic order. Crucially, bands of both J=1/2 and J=3/2 nature play important roles in these transitions. Our results qualitatively agree with experiments of Sr2IrO4 under strain induced by a substrate, and motivate the study of higher strains.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2012.08583,
title = {Modeling multiorbital effects in Sr2IrO4 under strain and a Zeeman field},
author = {Lena Engström and T. Pereg-Barnea and William Witczak-Krempa},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2012.08583},
year = {2021}
}