293 research outputs found
Holographic Metamagnetism, Quantum Criticality, and Crossover Behavior
Using high-precision numerical analysis, we show that 3+1 dimensional gauge
theories holographically dual to 4+1 dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Chern-Simons
theory undergo a quantum phase transition in the presence of a finite charge
density and magnetic field. The quantum critical theory has dynamical scaling
exponent z=3, and is reached by tuning a relevant operator of scaling dimension
2. For magnetic field B above the critical value B_c, the system behaves as a
Fermi liquid. As the magnetic field approaches B_c from the high field side,
the specific heat coefficient diverges as 1/(B-B_c), and non-Fermi liquid
behavior sets in. For B<B_c the entropy density s becomes non-vanishing at zero
temperature, and scales according to s \sim \sqrt{B_c - B}. At B=B_c, and for
small non-zero temperature T, a new scaling law sets in for which s\sim
T^{1/3}. Throughout a small region surrounding the quantum critical point, the
ratio s/T^{1/3} is given by a universal scaling function which depends only on
the ratio (B-B_c)/T^{2/3}.
The quantum phase transition involves non-analytic behavior of the specific
heat and magnetization but no change of symmetry. Above the critical field, our
numerical results are consistent with those predicted by the Hertz/Millis
theory applied to metamagnetic quantum phase transitions, which also describe
non-analytic changes in magnetization without change of symmetry. Such
transitions have been the subject of much experimental investigation recently,
especially in the compound Sr_3 Ru_2 O_7, and we comment on the connections.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures v2: added ref
Electronic correlations in the iron pnictides
In correlated metals derived from Mott insulators, the motion of an electron
is impeded by Coulomb repulsion due to other electrons. This phenomenon causes
a substantial reduction in the electron's kinetic energy leading to remarkable
experimental manifestations in optical spectroscopy. The high-Tc
superconducting cuprates are perhaps the most studied examples of such
correlated metals. The occurrence of high-Tc superconductivity in the iron
pnictides puts a spotlight on the relevance of correlation effects in these
materials. Here we present an infrared and optical study on single crystals of
the iron pnictide superconductor LaFePO. We find clear evidence of electronic
correlations in metallic LaFePO with the kinetic energy of the electrons
reduced to half of that predicted by band theory of nearly free electrons.
Hallmarks of strong electronic many-body effects reported here are important
because the iron pnictides expose a new pathway towards a correlated electron
state that does not explicitly involve the Mott transition.Comment: 10 page
The mean free path for electron conduction in metallic fullerenes
We calculate the electrical resistivity due to electron-phonon scattering for
a model of A3C60 (A= K, Rb), using an essentially exact quantum Monte-Carlo
calculation. In agreement with experiment, we obtain exceptionally large
metallic resistivities at large temperatures T. This illustrates that the
apparent mean free path can be much shorter than the separation of the
molecules. An interpretation of this result is given. The calculation also
explains the linear behavior in T at small T.Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 3 eps figure, additional material available at
http://www.mpi-stuttgart.mpg.de/docs/ANDERSEN/fullerene
Atomic-scale images of charge ordering in a mixed-valence manganite
Transition-metal perovskite oxides exhibit a wide range of extraordinary but
imperfectly understood phenomena. Charge, spin, orbital, and lattice degrees of
freedom all undergo order-disorder transitions in regimes not far from where
the best-known of these phenomena, namely high-temperature superconductivity of
the copper oxides, and the 'colossal' magnetoresistance of the manganese
oxides, occur. Mostly diffraction techniques, sensitive either to the spin or
the ionic core, have been used to measure the order. Unfortunately, because
they are only weakly sensitive to valence electrons and yield superposition of
signals from distinct mesoscopic phases, they cannot directly image mesoscopic
phase coexistence and charge ordering, two key features of the manganites. Here
we describe the first experiment to image charge ordering and phase separation
in real space with atomic-scale resolution in a transition metal oxide. Our
scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data show that charge order is correlated
with structural order, as well as with whether the material is locally metallic
or insulating, thus giving an atomic-scale basis for descriptions of the
manganites as mixtures of electronically and structurally distinct phases.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 19 reference
The break up of heavy electrons at a quantum critical point
The point at absolute zero where matter becomes unstable to new forms of
order is called a quantum critical point (QCP). The quantum fluctuations
between order and disorder that develop at this point induce profound
transformations in the finite temperature electronic properties of the
material. Magnetic fields are ideal for tuning a material as close as possible
to a QCP, where the most intense effects of criticality can be studied. A
previous study on theheavy-electron material found that near a
field-induced quantum critical point electrons move ever more slowly and
scatter off one-another with ever increasing probability, as indicated by a
divergence to infinity of the electron effective mass and cross-section. These
studies could not shed light on whether these properties were an artifact of
the applied field, or a more general feature of field-free QCPs. Here we report
that when Germanium-doped is tuned away from a chemically induced
quantum critical point by magnetic fields there is a universal behavior in the
temperature dependence of the specific heat and resistivity: the characteristic
kinetic energy of electrons is directly proportional to the strength of the
applied field. We infer that all ballistic motion of electrons vanishes at a
QCP, forming a new class of conductor in which individual electrons decay into
collective current carrying motions of the electron fluid.Comment: Pdf files of article available at
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~coleman/online/breakup.pdf, pdf file of news
and views article available at
http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~coleman/online/nvbreakup.pd
Chemical potential oscillations from a single nodal pocket in the underdoped high-Tc superconductor YBa2Cu3O6+x
The mystery of the normal state in the underdoped cuprates has deepened with
the use of newer and complementary experimental probes. While photoemission
studies have revealed solely `Fermi arcs' centered on nodal points in the
Brillouin zone at which holes aggregate upon doping, more recent quantum
oscillation experiments have been interpreted in terms of an ambipolar Fermi
surface, that includes sections containing electron carriers located at the
antinodal region. To address the question of whether an ambipolar Fermi surface
truly exists, here we utilize measurements of the second harmonic quantum
oscillations, which reveal that the amplitude of these oscillations arises
mainly from oscillations in the chemical potential, providing crucial
information on the nature of the Fermi surface in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x. In
particular, the detailed relationship between the second harmonic amplitude and
the fundamental amplitude of the quantum oscillations leads us to the
conclusion that there exists only a single underlying quasi-two dimensional
Fermi surface pocket giving rise to the multiple frequency components observed
via the effects of warping, bilayer splitting and magnetic breakdown. A range
of studies suggest that the pocket is most likely associated with states near
the nodal region of the Brillouin zone of underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x at high
magnetic fields.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Criticality in correlated quantum matter
At quantum critical points (QCP)
\cite{Pfeuty:1971,Young:1975,Hertz:1976,Chakravarty:1989,Millis:1993,Chubukov:1
994,Coleman:2005} there are quantum fluctuations on all length scales, from
microscopic to macroscopic lengths, which, remarkably, can be observed at
finite temperatures, the regime to which all experiments are necessarily
confined. A fundamental question is how high in temperature can the effects of
quantum criticality persist? That is, can physical observables be described in
terms of universal scaling functions originating from the QCPs? Here we answer
these questions by examining exact solutions of models of correlated systems
and find that the temperature can be surprisingly high. As a powerful
illustration of quantum criticality, we predict that the zero temperature
superfluid density, , and the transition temperature, , of
the cuprates are related by , where the exponent
is different at the two edges of the superconducting dome, signifying the
respective QCPs. This relationship can be tested in high quality crystals.Comment: Final accepted version not including minor stylistic correction
Field-induced quantum fluctuations in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCu2Ge2
Quantum-mechanical fluctuations in strongly correlated electron systems cause
unconventional phenomena such as non-Fermi liquid behavior, and arguably high
temperature superconductivity. Here we report the discovery of a field-tuned
quantum critical phenomenon in stoichiometric CeCu2Ge2, a spin density wave
ordered heavy fermion metal that exhibits unconventional superconductivity
under ~ 10 GPa of applied pressure. Our finding of the associated quantum
critical spin fluctuations of the antiferromagnetic spin density wave order,
dominating the local fluctuations due to single-site Kondo effect, provide new
information about the underlying mechanism that can be important in
understanding superconductivity in this novel compound.Comment: Heavy Fermion, Quantum Critical Phenomeno
Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals
When a metal undergoes a continuous quantum phase transition, non-Fermi
liquid behaviour arises near the critical point. It is standard to assume that
all low-energy degrees of freedom induced by quantum criticality are spatially
extended, corresponding to long-wavelength fluctuations of the order parameter.
However, this picture has been contradicted by recent experiments on a
prototype system: heavy fermion metals at a zero-temperature magnetic
transition. In particular, neutron scattering from CeCuAu has
revealed anomalous dynamics at atomic length scales, leading to much debate as
to the fate of the local moments in the quantum-critical regime. Here we report
our theoretical finding of a locally critical quantum phase transition in a
model of heavy fermions. The dynamics at the critical point are in agreement
with experiment. We also argue that local criticality is a phenomenon of
general relevance to strongly correlated metals, including doped Mott
insulators.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures; extended version, to appear in Natur
Enhancement of the Nernst effect by stripe order in a high-Tc superconductor
The Nernst effect in metals is highly sensitive to two kinds of phase
transition: superconductivity and density-wave order. The large positive Nernst
signal observed in hole-doped high-Tc superconductors above their transition
temperature Tc has so far been attributed to fluctuating superconductivity.
Here we show that in some of these materials the large Nernst signal is in fact
caused by stripe order, a form of spin / charge modulation which causes a
reconstruction of the Fermi surface. In LSCO doped with Nd or Eu, the onset of
stripe order causes the Nernst signal to go from small and negative to large
and positive, as revealed either by lowering the hole concentration across the
quantum critical point in Nd-LSCO, or lowering the temperature across the
ordering temperature in Eu-LSCO. In the latter case, two separate peaks are
resolved, respectively associated with the onset of stripe order at high
temperature and superconductivity near Tc. This sensitivity to Fermi-surface
reconstruction makes the Nernst effect a promising probe of broken symmetry in
high-Tc superconductors
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