First-order quantum Hall to Wigner crystal phase transition on a triangular lattice: An infinite density matrix renormalization group study
Phys. Rev. B 111, 235141 – Published 23 June, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/66gf-h6nn
Abstract
In this work we study a system of interacting fermions on a triangular lattice in the presence of an external magnetic field. We assume electrons are spin polarized and fix a density of one third, with one unit of magnetic flux per particle. The infinite density matrix renormalization group algorithm is used to compute the ground state of this generalized Fermi-Hubbard model. Increasing the strength of the nearest-neighbor repulsion, we find a first-order transition between an integer quantum Hall phase and a crystalline, generalized Wigner crystal state. The first-order nature of the phase transition is consistent with a Ginzburg-Landau argument. We expect our results to be relevant for moiré heterostructures of two-dimensional materials.
