It was recently shown that a spatially modulated Rashba spin-orbit coupling in a quantum wire drives a transition from a metallic to an insulating state when the wave number of the modulation becomes commensurate with the Fermi wave length of the electrons in the wire [G. I. Japaridze et al., Phys. Rev. B 80 041308(R) (2009)]. On basis of experimental data from a gated InAs heterostructure it was suggested that the effect may be put to practical use in a future spin transistor design. In the present article we revisit the problem and present a detailed analysis of the underlying physics. First, we explore how the build-up of charge density wave correlations in the quantum wire due to the periodic gate configuration that produces the Rashba modulation influences the transition to the insulating state. The interplay between the modulations of the charge density and that of the spin-orbit coupling turns out to be quite subtle: Depending on the relative phase between the two modulations, the joint action of the Rashba interaction and charge density wave correlations may either enhance or reduce the Rashba current blockade effect. Secondly, we inquire about the role of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling that is generically present in a quantum wire embedded in semiconductor heterostructure. While the Dresselhaus coupling is found to work against the current blockade of the insulating state, the effect is small in most materials. Using an effective field theory approach, we also carry out an analysis of effects from electron-electron interactions, and show how the single-particle gap in the insulating state can be extracted from the more easily accessible collective charge and spin excitation thresholds. The smallness of the single-particle gap together with the anti-phase relation between the Rashba and chemical potential modulations pose serious difficulties for realizing a Rashba-controlled current switch in an InAs-based device. Some alternative designs are discussed.

A central tenet in the theory of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) is that a nonanalyticity in a ground-state energy implies a QPT. Here we report on a finding that challenges this assertion. As a case study we take a phase diagram of a one-dimensional band insulator with spin-orbit coupled electrons, supporting trivial, and topological gapped phases separated by intersecting critical surfaces. The intersections define multicritical lines across which the ground-state energy becomes nonanalytical, concurrent with a closing of the band gap, but with no phase transition taking place.

A class of Aubry-André-Harper models of spin-orbit coupled electrons exhibits a topological phase diagram where two regions belonging to the same phase are split up by a multicritical point. The critical lines which meet at this point each defines a topological quantum phase transition with a second-order nonanalyticity of the ground-state energy, accompanied by a linear closing of the spectral gap with respect to the control parameter; except at the multicritical point which supports fourth-order transitions with parabolic gap-closing. Here both types of criticality are characterized through a scaling analysis of the curvature function defined from the topological invariant of the model. We extract the critical exponents of the diverging curvature function at the nonhigh symmetry points in the Brillouin zone where the gap closes, and also apply a renormalization group approach to the flattening curvature function at high symmetry points. We also derive a basis-independent correlation function between Wannier states to characterize the transition. Intriguingly, we find that the critical exponents and scaling law defined with respect to the spectral gap remain the same regardless of the order of the transition.

A nodal-line semimetal (NLSM) is suppressed in the presence of spin–orbit coupling unless it is protected by a nonsymmorphic symmetry. We show that two-dimensional (2D) materials can realize robust NLSMs when vacancies are introduced on the lattice. As a case study we investigate borophene, a boron honeycomb-like sheet. While the Dirac cones of pristine borophene are shown to be gapped out by spin–orbit coupling and by magnetic exchange, robust nodal lines (NLs) emerge in the spectrum when selected atoms are removed. We propose an effective 2D model and a symmetry analysis to demonstrate that these NLs are topological and protected by a nonsymmorphic glide plane. Our findings offer a paradigm shift to the design of NLSMs: instead of searching for nonsymmorphic materials, robust NLSMs may be realized simply by removing atoms from ordinary symmorphic crystals.