Topological phase transitions with SO(4) symmetry in (2+1)d interacting Dirac fermions

Abstract: Interaction-driven topological phase transitions in Dirac semimetals are investigated by means of large-scale quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. The interaction among Dirac fermions is introduced by coupling them to Ising spins that realize the quantum dynamics of the two-dimensional transverse field Ising model. The ground state phase diagram, in which the tuning parameters are the transverse field and the coupling between fermion and Ising spins, is determined. At weak and intermediate coupling, a second-order Ising quantum phase transition and a first-order topological phase transition between two topologically distinct Dirac semimetals are observed. Interestingly, at the latter, the Dirac points smear out to form nodal lines in the Brillouin zone, and collective bosonic fluctuations with SO(4) symmetry are strongly enhanced. At strong coupling, these two phase boundaries merge into a first-order transition.