Topological quantum phase transitions of Chern insulators in disk geometry

Abstract

We investigate topological quantum phase transitions (TQPTs) of Chern insulators in two-dimensional honeycomb-lattice disk with six-fold rotational symmetry. By considering the nearest-neighbor, next-nearest-neighbor hopping parameters and the staggered-flux parameter of the Haldane model, we can obtain rich topological quantum phases. The trivial and non-trivial phases of the Haldane model in disk geometry can be distinguished based on chiral edge states, real-space particle densities and local density of states. We also explore the TQPTs of Chern insulators with an external potential which varies with the radius of the disk geometry. Some interesting topological phases with large Chern numbers can be observed when we consider long-distance hoppings. Furthermore, we use a machine learning algorithm as an effective way to automatically identify various topological phases and phase diagrams for the Haldane model in disk geometry.