FIRSTORM

Modeling first-order Mott transitions

Mott insulators are "unsuccessful metals" in which the conduction of current is hindered by a strong Coulomb repulsion. Their use in microelectronics began to be considered in the 1990s, when the first reports of field-effect switches appeared. These attempts were motivated by the expectation that dielectric breakdown in Mott insulators could suddenly release all previously localised carriers, with significant potential for nanometre scaling. In recent years, striking experimental data on narrow-gap Mott insulators have finally realised this expectation, revealing an unprecedented scenario where the stabilised metal phase is only metastable at equilibrium, heralding exciting potential applications. These new data urgently require a theoretical understanding, which is still lacking.