Abstract
To determine how electron correlations open a gap in two-dimensional massless Dirac electrons in the organic compounds $\alpha$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$I$_3$ [$\alpha$-(ET)$_2$I$_3$] and $\alpha$-(BEDT-TSeF)$_2$I$_3$ [$\alpha$-(BETS)$_2$I$_3$], we derive and analyze $ab$ $initio$ low-energy effective Hamiltonians for these two compounds. We find that the horizontal stripe charge ordering opens a gap in the massless Dirac electrons in $\alpha$-(ET)$_2$I$_3$, while an insulating phase without explicit symmetry breaking appears in $\alpha$-(BETS)$_2$I$_3$. We clarify that the combination of the anisotropic transfer integrals and the electron correlations induces a dimensional reduction in the spin correlations, i.e., one-dimensional spin correlations develop in $\alpha$-(BETS)$_2$I$_3$. We show that the one-dimensional spin correlations open a gap in the massless Dirac electrons. Our finding paves the way for opening gaps for massless Dirac electrons using strong electronic correlations.
Submitted Version (Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have