Enhanced Spin-Orbit Coupling in a Correlated Metal

Kubo, Katsunori 

We investigate the correlation effects on spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in a two-orbital Hubbard model on a square lattice by applying the variational Monte Carlo method. We consider an effective SOC constant in the one-body part of the variational wave function and mainly discuss the cases of the electron number per site , that is, quarter filling. interaction. Increasing the electron-electron interactions in the paramagnetic phase leads to a transition to an effective one-band state, in which the upper band becomes empty due to the enhanced . We also construct phase diagrams considering magnetic order. The carrier doping effect on is also investigated. We find that enhances in a strongly correlated region around the Mott transition point and it is necessary to include the correlation effects beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation to describe the enhanced SOC properly.