Topological phases and phase transitions on the square-octagon lattice

Abstract: We theoretically investigate a tight binding model of fermions hopping on the square-octagon lattice which consists of a square lattice with plaquette corners themselves decorated by squares. Upon the inclusion of second neighbor spin-orbit coupling or non-Abelian gauge fields, time-reversal symmetric topological Z_2 band insulators are realized. Additional insulating and gapless phases are also realized via the non-Abelian gauge fields. Some of the phase transitions involve topological changes to the Fermi surface. The stability of the topological phases to various symmetry breaking terms is investigated via the entanglement spectrum. Our results enlarge the number of known exactly solvable models of Z_2 band insulators, and are potentially relevant to the realization and identification of topological phases in both the solid state and cold atomic gases.