Symmetry-breaking-induced topology in FeSe

Abstract: FeSe has been one of the most intensively studied iron-based superconductors over the past two decades, exhibiting a wide range of phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity, nematic order, magnetism, orbital-selective correlations, and structural phase transitions. While topologically non-trivial phases have been identified in certain cases - such as Te-doped FeSe and monolayer FeSe - topology in bulk FeSe has largely remained unexplored. In this work, we propose a new route to realize topological phases directly in bulk FeSe. We demonstrate that breaking the in-plane $C_4$ rotational symmetry, thereby lowering the crystal symmetry, can drive FeSe into a strong topological insulating phase. To support this, we perform density functional theory calculations and analyze the band structure using topological quantum chemistry and symmetry-based indicators. Our results show that both uniaxial strain and the structural transition to the orthorhombic low-temperature phase lead to non-trivial band topology. Moreover, incorporating electronic correlations through dynamical mean field theory reveals that the topological characteristics near the Fermi level remain robust, as the relevant bands experience only moderate renormalization. These findings highlight strain as a promising mechanism to induce topological phases in FeSe.