Realization of an Antiferromagnetic Superatomic Graphene: Dirac Mott Insulator and Circular Dichroism Hall Effect

Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the electronic and topological properties of an antiferromagnetic (AFM) superatomic graphene lattice superimposed on a bipartite honeycomb lattice governed by Lieb's theorem of itinerant magnetism. It affords a concrete material realization of the AFM honeycomb model with a Dirac Mott insulating state, characterized by a gap opening at the Dirac point due to inversion symmetry breaking by long-range AFM order. The opposite Berry curvatures of the K and K' valleys induces a circular dichroism (CD) Hall effect. Different from the valley Hall effect that activates only one valley, the CD Hall effect activates carriers from both K and K' valleys, generating the opposite directions of transversal Hall currents for the left- and right-handed circularly polarized light, respectively.

Automated summary

By using first-principles calculations, the electronic and topological properties of an antiferromagnetic superatomic graphene lattice on a bipartite honeycomb lattice have been investigated. The material displays a Dirac Mott insulating state with a gap opening at the Dirac point due to long-range antiferromagnetic order, and shows a circular dichroism Hall effect with opposite directions of transversal Hall currents for left- and right-handed circularly polarized light.