Engineering Correlated Dirac Fermions and Flat Bands on SiC with Transition-Metal Adatom Lattices

Menke H, Enderlein N, Gillen R, Tseng YT, Bockstedte M, Maultzsch J, Sangiovanni G, Hansmann P (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Physical Review Letters American Physical Society

Book Volume: 136

Article Number: 246503

DOI: 10.1103/yh3v-pwz9

Abstract

We propose three transition-metal adatom systems on SiC surfaces as a versatile platform to realize massless Dirac fermions and flat bands with strong electronic correlations. Using density functional theory combined with the constrained random phase approximation and dynamical mean-field theory, we investigate the electronic properties of Ti, V, and Cr adatoms. The triangular surface lattices exhibit narrow bandwidths and effective two-band Hubbard models near the Fermi level, originating from partially filled adatom 𝑑
orbitals. For the undoped systems our calculations reveal two distinct Mott insulating ground states. While the V lattice is a paramagnetic textbook case with large local moments, the Cr lattice, in contrast, is on the edge of a phase transition toward a flat-band Fermi liquid. The Ti lattice realizes a heavy Dirac semimetal at zero doping.

Authors with CRIS profile

Henri Menke Professur für Theoretische Physik mit dem Schwerpunkt Molekulare Materialien Niklas Enderlein Professur für Theoretische Physik mit dem Schwerpunkt Molekulare Materialien Roland Gillen Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik Yi-Ting Tseng Professur für Theoretische Physik mit dem Schwerpunkt Molekulare Materialien Janina Maultzsch Lehrstuhl für Experimentalphysik Philipp Hansmann Professur für Theoretische Physik mit dem Schwerpunkt Molekulare Materialien

Involved external institutions

Johannes Kepler Universität (JKU) Linz AT Austria (AT) Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Menke, H., Enderlein, N., Gillen, R., Tseng, Y.-T., Bockstedte, M., Maultzsch, J.,... Hansmann, P. (2026). Engineering Correlated Dirac Fermions and Flat Bands on SiC with Transition-Metal Adatom Lattices. Physical Review Letters, 136. https://doi.org/10.1103/yh3v-pwz9

MLA:

Menke, Henri, et al. "Engineering Correlated Dirac Fermions and Flat Bands on SiC with Transition-Metal Adatom Lattices." Physical Review Letters 136 (2026).

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