Critical temperature and Ginzburg region near a quantum critical point in two-dimensional metals

We compute the transition temperature $T_c$ and the Ginzburg temperature $T_{\rm G}$ above $T_c$ near a quantum critical point at the boundary of an ordered phase with a broken discrete symmetry in a two-dimensional metallic electron system. Our calculation is based on a renormalization group analysis of the Hertz action with a scalar order parameter. We provide analytic expressions for $T_c$ and $T_{\rm G}$ as a function of the non-thermal control parameter for the quantum phase transition, including logarithmic corrections. The Ginzburg regime between $T_c$ and $T_{\rm G}$ occupies a sizable part of the phase diagram.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur

Correlated hopping of electrons: Effect on the Brinkman-Rice transition and the stability of metallic ferromagnetism

We study the Hubbard model with bond-charge interaction (`correlated hopping') in terms of the Gutzwiller wave function. We show how to express the Gutzwiller expectation value of the bond-charge interaction in terms of the correlated momentum-space occupation. This relation is valid in all spatial dimensions. We find that in infinite dimensions, where the Gutzwiller approximation becomes exact, the bond-charge interaction lowers the critical Hubbard interaction for the Brinkman-Rice metal-insulator transition. The bond-charge interaction also favors ferromagnetic transitions, especially if the density of states is not symmetric and has a large spectral weight below the Fermi energy.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; minor changes, published versio

What are spin currents in Heisenberg magnets?

We discuss the proper definition of the spin current operator in Heisenberg magnets subject to inhomogeneous magnetic fields. We argue that only the component of the naive "current operator" J_ij S_i x S_j in the plane spanned by the local order parameters and is related to real transport of magnetization. Within a mean field approximation or in the classical ground state the spin current therefore vanishes. Thus, finite spin currents are a direct manifestation of quantum correlations in the system.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, published versio