{
  "abstract": "A defining feature of quantum materials is that multiple orders govern low-energy physics and are not independent. We study Bi$_2$Se$_3$ by combining DFT with a renormalized correlated honeycomb model in which frustrated magnetic order and helical topological surface states are coupled via one control parameter. The surface states map to a honeycomb Hubbard model with frustrated $J_1$--$J_2$ exchange. Exact diagonalization up to 20 sites shows the Néel structure factor and valence-bond-solid order parameter cross at $J_2/J_1 \\approx 0.22$, agreeing with QMC/DMRG, and a dynamical spin structure factor broadens near the crossover, as expected for a spinon continuum. Band inversion of the renormalized tight-binding model occurs on the same critical locus, producing jumps in the Chern number and $\\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant mirrored by the skyrmion charge $Q$. This gives a microscopic link: $Q$ selects the axion angle and thus the topological magnetoelectric coupling. We distinguish axion coupling, independent of skyrmion helicity, from the helicity-dependent magnetoelectric multipole coupling, whose toroidal component scales as $\\sinγ$ and vanishes for Néel-type textures. We derive the $Q$-topological magnetoelectric energy and estimate $\\sim 10^{-20}\\,\\mathrm{J}$ per skyrmion per cycle for few-tesla fields. The cycle is thermodynamically bounded: constant-$θ$ cycles extract no net work, and efficiency is limited by axionic entropy change.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2611.03670",
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Aniekan Magnus Ukpong"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/09sfntdfg87sz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2611.03670",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "09sfntdfg87sz",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.03670",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "cond-mat.str-el"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2611.03670",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/09sfntdfg87sz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:21:25Z",
      "native_id": "2611.03670",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.03670"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "arxiv:cond-mat.str-el",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Correlated quantum criticality and topological magnetoelectric response in Bi2Se3",
  "title_text": "Correlated quantum criticality and topological magnetoelectric response in Bi2Se3",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T18:21:01Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/09sfntdfg87sz",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}