Parity-Breaking Phases of Spin-Orbit-Coupled Metals with Gyrotropic, Ferroelectric, and Multipolar Orders

Liang Fu
Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 026401 – Published 7 July 2015

Abstract

We study Fermi liquid instabilities in spin-orbit-coupled metals with inversion symmetry. By introducing a canonical basis for the doubly degenerate Bloch bands in momentum space, we derive the general form of Landau interaction functions. A variety of time-reversal-invariant, parity-breaking phases is found, whose Fermi surface is spontaneously deformed and spin split. In terms of symmetry, these phases possess gyrotropic, ferroelectric, and multipolar orders. The ferroelectric and multipolar phases are accompanied by structural distortions, from which the electronic orders can be identified. The gyrotropic phase exhibits a unique nonlinear optical property. We identify correlated electron materials that exhibit these parity-breaking phases, including LiOsO3 and Cd2Re2O7.

  • Received 28 January 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.026401

© 2015 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Liang Fu

  • Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA

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Vol. 115, Iss. 2 — 10 July 2015

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