Magnetism and Mott transition: A slave-rotor study

Motivated by the debate of the spin-density-wave (SDW) versus local-moment (LM) picture in the iron-based superconducting (FeSC) materials, we consider a two-band orbital-symmetric Hubbard model in which there is robust Fermi surface nesting at (pi,0). We obtain the phase diagram of such system by a mean-field slave-rotor approach, in which the Fermi surface nesting and the SDW order are explicitly taken into account via a natural separation of scale between the Hund's coupling and the Coulomb interaction. We find that for a sizeable range of Hund's coupling the Mott transition acquires a strong first-order character, but there also exists a small range of stronger Hund's coupling in which an enhancement of magnetization can be observed on the SDW side. We interpret the former scenario as one in which a sharp distinction can be drawn between the LM and the SDW picture, and the latter scenario as one in which signs of LM physics begin to develop in the metallic phase. It is tempting to suggest that some FeSC materials are in the vicinity of the latter scenario.