Probing holographic flat bands at finite density

Abstract

Flat band electronic systems exhibit a rich landscape of correlation-driven phases, both at the charge neutrality and finite electronic density, featuring exotic electromagnetic and thermodynamic responses. Motivated by these developments, in this paper, we explicitly include the effects of the chemical potential in a holographic model featuring approximately flat bands. In particular, we explore the phase diagram of this holographic flat band system as a function of the chemical potential. We find that at low temperatures and densities, the system features a nematic phase, transitioning into the Lifshitz phase as the chemical potential or temperature increases. To further characterize the ensuing phases, we investigate the optical conductivity and find that this observable shows strong anisotropies in the nematic phase.