Topological phases and phase transitions on the square-octagon lattice

We theoretically investigate a tight-binding model of fermions hopping on the square-octagon lattice which consists of a square lattice with plaquette corners themselves decorated by squares. Upon the inclusion of second-neighbor spin-orbit coupling or non-Abelian gauge fields, time-reversal symmetric topological Z₂ band insulators are realized. Additional insulating and gapless phases are also realized via the non-Abelian gauge fields. Some of the phase transitions involve topological changes to the Fermi surface. The stability of the topological phases to various symmetry-breaking terms is investigated via the entanglement spectrum. Our results enlarge the number of known exactly solvable models of Z₂ band insulators and are potentially relevant to the realization and identification of topological phases in both the solid-state and cold atomic gases. ©2010 The American Physical Society