Emergent gauge fields in band insulators

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Han, Zhaoyu; Kivelson, Steven A.
• 署名单位: Stanford University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8991
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421778122
• 发表日期: 2025-04-15
• 关键词: resonating-valence-bond; quantum; phase; fractionalization; TOPOLOGY; solitons; physics; state; gap

摘要

By explicit microscopic construction involving a mapping to a quantum vertex model subject to the ice rule, we show that an electronically trivial band insulator with suitable vibrational (phonon) degrees of freedom can host a resonating valence-bond state-a quantum phase with emergent gauge fields. This type of band insulator is identifiable by the existence of emergent gapless photon modes and deconfined excitations, the latter of which carry nonquantized mobile charges. We suggest that such phases may exist in the quantum regimes of various nearly ferroelectric materials.