Enhanced Spin–Orbit Coupling in a Correlated Metal

Abstract

We investigate the correlation effects on spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in a two-orbital Hubbard model on a square lattice by applying the variational Monte Carlo method. We consider an effective SOC constant $\lambda_{\text{eff}}$ in the one-body part of the variational wave function and mainly discuss the cases of the electron number per site $n=1$, that is, quarter filling. We find that $\lambda_{\text{eff}}$ is proportional to the bare value $\lambda$ and depends on the electron-electron interactions through $(U'-J')$ in a relatively wide parameter range in the paramagnetic (PM) phase, where $U'$ is the interorbital Coulomb interaction and $J'$ is the pair hopping interaction. Increasing the electron-electron interactions in the PM phase leads to a transition to an effective one-band state, in which the upper band becomes empty due to the enhanced $\lambda_{\text{eff}}$. We also construct phase diagrams considering magnetic order. The carrier doping effect on $\lambda_{\text{eff}}$ is also investigated. We find that $\lambda_{\text{eff}}$ enhances in a strongly correlated region around the Mott transition point and it is necessary to include the correlation effects beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation to describe the enhanced SOC properly.