Signatures of Electronic Nematic Phase at Isotropic-Nematic Phase Transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates the isotropic-nematic phase transition in electronic systems on a square lattice, revealing a first-order transition with Fermi surface changes and proposing conductivity and Hall measurements as probes, relevant to high-$T_c$ cuprates.

Contribution

It models the nematic phase transition using mean field theory, highlighting the first-order nature and associated Fermi surface topology changes, and explores experimental probes.

Findings

First-order phase transition with Fermi surface topology change

Conductivity tensor and Hall constant as probes of the transition

Relevance to Hall resistivity experiments in high-$T_c$ cuprates

Abstract

The electronic nematic phase occurs when the point-group symmetry of the lattice structure is broken, due to electron-electron interactions. We study a model for the nematic phase on a square lattice with emphasis on the phase transition between isotropic and nematic phases within mean field theory. We find the transition to be first order, with dramatic changes in the Fermi surface topology accompanying the transition. Furthermore, we study the conductivity tensor and Hall constant as probes of the nematic phase and its transition. The relevance of our findings to Hall resistivity experiments in the high-$T_c$ cuprates is discussed.