Quantum-Geometry-Enabled Landau-Zener Tunneling in Singular Flat Bands
Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 146302 – Published 28 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/rzdx-3xgj
Abstract
Flat-band materials have attracted substantial interest for their intriguing quantum geometric effects. Here we investigate how singular flat bands (SFBs) respond to a static, uniform electric field in the weak-field regime and whether they can support single-particle dc transport. By constructing a minimal two-band lattice model, we show that away from the singular band crossing point (BCP), the Wannier-Stark (WS) spectrum of the flat band is well captured by an intraband Berry phase . The associated WS eigenstates are exponentially localized along the field direction, precluding dc transport. In contrast, near the BCP the interband Berry connection becomes prominent and drives Landau-Zener tunneling, which bends the flat-band WS ladder and delocalizes the SFB wave functions. Remarkably, this regime is governed solely by the maximal quantum distance through two geometric phases : characterizes the tunneling rate, while acts as a generalized Berry phase that reduces to the Berry phase away from the BCP. These results highlight the essential role of quantum geometry in enabling transport signatures in SFBs.