Phase transitions in the Haldane-Hubbard model

Abstract: The Haldane-Hubbard model is a prime example of the combined effects of band topology and electronic interaction. We revisit its spinful phase diagram at half-filling as a consensus on the presence of SU($2$) symmetry is currently lacking. To start, we utilize the Hartree-Fock mean-field method, which offers a direct understanding of symmetry breaking through the effective mass term that can acquire spin dependence. Our results, in agreement with previous studies, provide an instructive insight into the regime where the Chern number $C=1$, with only one spin species remaining topological. Besides that, we numerically study the phase diagram of the Haldane-Hubbard model via a large-scale infinite-density matrix renormalization group (iDMRG) method. The phase boundaries are determined by the Chern number and the correlation lengths obtained from the transfer-matrix spectrum. Unlike previous studies, the iDMRG method investigates the Haldane-Hubbard model on a thin and infinitely long cylinder and examines scenarios consistent with the two-dimensional thermodynamic limit. Here, the phase diagram we obtained qualitatively goes beyond the Hartree-Fock scope, particularly in the $C=1$ region, and serves as a quantitative benchmark for further theoretical and experimental investigations.