Thermo-Plasma Polariton within Scaling Theory of Single-Layer Graphene

Electrodynamics of single-layer graphene is studied in the scaling regime. At any finite temperature, there is a weakly damped collective thermo-plasma polariton mode whose dispersion and wavelength dependent damping is determined analytically. The electric and magnetic fields associated with this mode decay exponentially in the direction perpendicular to the graphene layer, but unlike the surface plasma polariton modes of metals, the decay length and the mode frequency are strongly temperature dependent. This may lead to new ways of generation and manipulation of these modes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Anomalous thermodynamics of Coulomb interacting massless Dirac fermions in two spatial dimensions

It is argued that the specific heat of $N$ massless Dirac fermions in 2 spatial dimensions interacting with 1/r Coulomb interactions is suppressed logarithmically relative to its non-interacting counterpart. The (dimensionless) coefficient of the logarithm is calculated analytically in the leading order in large $N$ expansion, but to all orders in $e^2N$, a procedure which takes into account finite temperature screening. Experimental observation of this effect is expected to occur in a single layer graphene embedded in a dielectric medium. Its dependence on the dielectric constant is calculated analytically.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures (replaced with revised version

Quantum oscillations of the specific heat in d-wave superconductors with loop current order

We report numerical results of quantum oscillations of the specific heat in the vortex state of a $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductor in the presence of loop current order, which gives rise to Fermi pockets coexisting with nodal $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconductivity. Within a lattice tight-binding model, we find that in an intermediate temperature range, the oscillations seem to approximately follow Onsager relation with an effective charge comparable to the electric charge. However, the quasiparticle spectrum does not resemble Landau levels. In order to understand the origin of the oscillations, we also perform Franz-Tesanovic transformation in the presence of the loop order and find that in addition to scalar and Berry potentials, one component of the gauge invariant superfluid velocity couples to the low lying Dirac particles as a component of a vector potential. The magnetic field associated with this vector potential vanishes on average but is highly non-uniform in the magnetic unit cell. We also compare the results with the model without the loop order but with Zeeman-like coupling which also induces Fermi pockets in the superconducting state.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figure

Strong coupling phases of partially filled twisted bilayer graphene narrow bands

We identify states favored by Coulomb interactions projected onto the Wannier basis of the four narrow bands of the "magic angle" twisted bilayer graphene. At the filling of two electrons/holes per moire unit cell, such interactions favor an insulating SU(4) ferromagnet. The kinetic terms select the ground state in which the two valleys with opposite spins are equally mixed, with vanishing magnetic moment per particle. We also find extended excited states, the gap to which decreases in magnetic field. An insulating stripe ferromagnetic phase is favored at one electron/hole per unit cell.Comment: 5+10 page

Berry phases and the intrinsic thermal Hall effect in high temperature cuprate superconductors

The Bogoliubov quasiparticles move in a practically uniform magnetic field in the vortex state of high temperature cuprate superconductors. Do the quasiparticles experience a Lorentz force when set in motion by an externally applied heat current ${\bf j}_Q$, bending their trajectories and causing the temperature gradient perpendicular to ${\bf j}_Q$ and the applied field ${\bf H}$, or is the thermal Hall effect a consequence of Berry phases as in an intrinsic anomalous Hall effect of a semiconductor/metal with spin-orbit coupling? Here we show that it is the latter, and for the first time, calculate the temperature, ${\bf H}$-field and the $d$-wave pairing gap $\Delta$ dependence of the intrinsic thermal Hall conductivity, $\kappa_{xy}$. We find that the intrinsic contribution to $\kappa_{xy}$ displays a rapid onset with increasing temperature, which compares favourably with existing experiments at high ${\bf H}$-fields on the highest purity samples. This finding may help to settle a much-debated question of the bulk value of the pairing strength in cuprate superconductors in magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; Supplementary: 11 pages, 3 figures; v2: Figure 1 update

Dirac Fermions in Solids - from High Tc cuprates and Graphene to Topological Insulators and Weyl Semimetals

Understanding Dirac-like Fermions has become an imperative in modern condensed matter sciences: all across its research frontier, from graphene to high T$_c$ superconductors to the topological insulators and beyond, various electronic systems exhibit properties which can be well described by the Dirac equation. Such physics is no longer the exclusive domain of quantum field theories and other esoteric mathematical musings; instead, real physics of real systems is governed by such equations, and important materials science and practical implications hinge on our understanding of Dirac particles in two and three dimensions. While the physics that gives rise to the massless Dirac Fermions in each of the above mentioned materials is different, the low energy properties are governed by the same Dirac kinematics. The aim of this article is to review a selected cross-section of this vast field by highlighting the generalities, and contrasting the specifics, of several physical systems.Comment: 46 pages, 7 figures. Manuscript submitted to Annual Reviews of Condensed Matter Physic

Space group symmetry, spin-orbit coupling and the low energy effective Hamiltonian for iron based superconductors

We construct the symmetry adapted low energy effective Hamiltonian for the electronic states in the vicinity of the Fermi level in iron based superconductors. We use Luttinger's method of invariants, expanding about Gamma and M points in the Brillouin zone corresponding to two iron unit cell, and then matching the coefficients of the expansion to the 5- and 8-band models. We then use the method of invariants to study the effects of the spin-density wave order parameters on the electronic spectrum, with and without spin-orbit coupling included. Among the results of this analysis is the finding that the nodal spin-density wave is unstable once spin-orbit coupling is included. Similar analysis is performed for the A_{1g} spin singlet superconducting state. Without spin-orbit coupling there is one pairing invariant near the Gamma point, but two near the M point. This leads to an isotropic spectral gap at the hole Fermi surface near Gamma, but anisotropic near M. The relative values of these three parameters determine whether the superconducting state is s_{++}, s_{+-}, or nodal. Inclusion of spin-orbit coupling leads to additional mixing of spin triplet pairing, with one additional pairing parameter near Gamma and one near M. This leads to an anisotropic spectral gap near both hole and electron Fermi surfaces, the latter no longer cross, but rather split.Comment: 38 pages, 18 figures, 10 table

Spin-orbit coupling induced enhancement of superconductivity in a two-dimensional repulsive gas of fermions

We study a model of a two-dimensional repulsive Fermi gas with Rashba spin-orbit coupling $\alpha_R$, and investigate the superconducting instability using renormalization group approach. We find that in general superconductivity is enhanced as the dimensionless ratio 1/2m\alpha_R^2/E_F$ increases, resulting in unconventional superconducting states which break time reversal symmetry.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Thermal Hall Conductivity of High Temperature Superconductors: Quantization and Scaling

Presented is the theory of thermal Hall conductivity $\kappa_{xy}$ in the vortex state of high temperature cuprate superconductors in the clean limit. We show that $\lim_{T \to 0} \kappa_{xy}/T$ is a {\em staircase} function of 1/B with an envelope that scales as 1/B. The relation to the experiments is discussed.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Non-Abelian Dirac node braiding and near-degeneracy of correlated phases at odd integer filling in magic angle twisted bilayer graphene

We use the DMRG to study the correlated electron states favored by the Coulomb interaction projected onto the narrow bands of twisted bilayer graphene within a spinless one-valley model. The Hilbert space of the narrow bands is constructed from a pair of hybrid Wannier states with opposite Chern numbers. Depending on the parameters in the BM model, the DMRG in this basis determines the ground state at one particle per unit cell to be either QAH state or a state with no Hall effect which is nearly a product state. Based on this form, we then apply the variational method to study their competition, thus identifying three states: the QAH, a gapless $C_2T$ symmetric nematic, and a gapped $C_2T$ symmetric stripe. All three states are nearly degenerate at the realistic parameters of the BM model. The single particle spectrum of the nematic contains either a quadratic node or two close Dirac nodes near $\Gamma$. Motivated by the Landau level degeneracy found in this state, we propose it to be the state observed at the charge neutrality point once spin and valley degeneracies are restored. The optimal period for the $C_2T$ stripe state is found to be $2$ unit cells. In addition, using the fact that the topological charge of the nodes in the $C_2T$ nematic phase is no longer described simply by their winding numbers once the translation symmetry is broken, but rather by certain elements of a non-Abelian group that was recently pointed out, we identify the mechanism of the gap opening within the $C_2T$ stripe state. Although the nodes at the Fermi energy are locally stable, they can be annihilated after braiding with other nodes connecting them to adjacent (folded) bands. Therefore, if the translation symmetry is broken, the gap at one particle per unit cell can open even if the system preserves the $C_2T$ and valley $U(1)$ symmetries, and the gap to remote bands remains open.Comment: 33 pages and 20 figure