Orbital-Selective Mott Transition Effects and Nontrivial Topology of Iron Chalcogenide.

Abstract

The iron-based superconductor FeSe_{1-x}Te_{x} has recently gained significant attention as a host of two distinct physical phenomena: (i)Majorana zero modes that can serve as potential topologically protected qubits, and (ii)a realization of the orbital-selective Mott transition. In this Letter, we connect these two phenomena and provide new insights into the interplay between strong electronic correlations and nontrivial topology in FeSe_{1-x}Te_{x}. Using linearized quasiparticle self-consistent GW plus dynamical mean-field theory, we show that the topologically protected Dirac surface state has substantial Fe(d_{xy}) character. The proximity to the orbital-selective Mott transition plays a dual role: it facilitates the appearance of the topological surface state by bringing the Dirac cone close to the chemical potential but destroys the Z_{2} topological superconductivity when the system is too close to the orbital-selective Mott phase. We derive a reduced effective Hamiltonian that describes the topological band. Its parameters capture all the chemical trends found in the first principles calculation. Our findings provide a framework for further study of the interplay between strong electronic correlations and nontrivial topology in other iron-based superconductors.