Topological defects of N\'eel order and Kondo singlet formation for Kondo-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice

Heavy fermion systems represent a prototypical setting to study magnetic quantum phase transitions. A particular focus has been on the physics of Kondo destruction, which captures quantum criticality beyond the Landau framework of order-parameter fluctuations. In this context, we study the spin one-half Kondo-Heisenberg model on a honeycomb lattice at half filling. The problem is approached from the Kondo destroyed, antiferromagnetically ordered insulating phase. We describe the local moments in terms of a coarse grained quantum non-linear sigma model, and show that the skyrmion defects of the antiferromagnetic order parameter host a number of competing order parameters. In addition to the spin Peierls, charge and current density wave order parameters, we identify for the first time Kondo singlets as the competing orders of the antiferromagnetism. We show that the antiferromagnetism and various competing singlet orders can be related to each other via generalized chiral transformations of the underlying fermions. We also show that the conduction electrons acquire a Berry phase through their coupling to the hedgehog configurations of the N\'eel order, which cancels the Berry phase of the local moments. Our results demonstrate the competition between the Kondo-singlet formation and spin-Peierls order when the antiferromagnetic order is suppressed, thereby shedding new light on the global phase diagram of heavy fermion systems at zero temperature.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Topological Weyl Superconductor to Diffusive Thermal Hall Metal Crossover in the B-Phase of UPt3_3

The recent phase sensitive measurements in the superconducting $B$-phase of UPt$_3$ provide strong evidence for the triplet, chiral $k_z(k_x \pm ik_y)^2$ pairing symmetries, which endow the Cooper pairs with orbital angular momentum projections $L _z= \pm 2$ along the $c$-axis. In the absence of disorder such pairing can support both line and point nodes, and both types of nodal quasiparticles exhibit nontrivial topology in the momentum space. The point nodes, located at the intersections of the closed Fermi surfaces with the $c$-axis, act as the double monopoles and the antimonopoles of the Berry curvature, and generalize the notion of Weyl quasiparticles. Consequently, the $B$ phase should support an anomalous thermal Hall effect, the polar Kerr effect, in addition to the protected Fermi arcs on the (1,0,0) and the (0,1,0) surfaces. The line node at the Fermi surface equator acts as a vortex loop in the momentum space and gives rise to the zero energy, dispersionless Andreev bound states on the (0,0,1) surface. At the transition from the $B$-phase to the $A$-phase, the time reversal symmetry is restored, and only the line node survives inside the $A$-phase. As both line and double-Weyl point nodes possess linearly vanishing density of states, we show that weak disorder acts as a marginally relevant perturbation. Consequently, an infinitesimal amount of disorder destroys the ballistic quasiparticle pole, while giving rise to a diffusive phase with a finite density of states at the zero energy. The resulting diffusive phase exhibits $T$-linear specific heat, and an anomalous thermal Hall effect. We predict that the low temperature thermodynamic and transport properties display a crossover between a ballistic thermal Hall semimetal and a diffusive thermal Hall metal.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure; replaced by the version accepted by Phys. Rev.

Itinerant quantum multi-criticality of two dimensional Dirac fermions

We analyze emergent quantum multi-criticality for strongly interacting, massless Dirac fermions in two spatial dimensions ($d=2$) within the framework of Gross-Neveu-Yukawa models, by considering the competing order parameters that give rise to fully gapped (insulating or superconducting) ground states. We focus only on those competing orders, which can be rotated into each other by generators of an exact or emergent chiral symmetry of massless Dirac fermions, and break $O(S_1)$ and $O(S_2)$ symmetries in the ordered phase. Performing a renormalization group analysis by using the $\epsilon=(3-d)$ expansion scheme, we show that all the coupling constants in the critical hyperplane flow toward a new attractive fixed point, supporting an \emph{enlarged} $O(S_1+S_2)$ chiral symmetry. Such a fixed point acts as an exotic quantum multi-critical point (MCP), governing the \emph{continuous} semimetal-insulator as well as insulator-insulator (for example antiferromagnet to valence bond solid) quantum phase transitions. In comparison with the lower symmetric semimetal-insulator quantum critical points, possessing either $O(S_1)$ or $O(S_2)$ chiral symmetry, the MCP displays enhanced correlation length exponents, and anomalous scaling dimensions for both fermionic and bosonic fields. We discuss the scaling properties of the ratio of bosonic and fermionic masses, and the increased dc resistivity at the MCP. By computing the scaling dimensions of different local fermion bilinears in the particle-hole channel, we establish that most of the four fermion operators or generalized density-density correlation functions display faster power law decays at the MCP compared to the free fermion and lower symmetric itinerant quantum critical points. Possible generalization of this scenario to higher dimensional Dirac fermions is also outlined.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures; replaced by the version published in Phys. Rev.

Skyrmion defects and competing singlet orders in a half-filled antiferromagnetic Kondo-Heisenberg model on the honeycomb lattice

Due to the interaction between topological defects of an order parameter and underlying fermions, the defects can possess induced fermion numbers, leading to several exotic phenomena of fundamental importance to both condensed matter and high energy physics. One of the intriguing outcome of induced fermion number is the presence of fluctuating competing orders inside the core of topological defect. In this regard, the interaction between fermions and skyrmion excitations of antiferromagnetic phase can have important consequence for understanding the global phase diagrams of many condensed matter systems where antiferromagnetism and several singlet orders compete. We critically investigate the relation between fluctuating competing orders and skyrmion excitations of the antiferromagnetic insulating phase of a half-filled Kondo-Heisenberg model on honeycomb lattice. By combining analytical and numerical methods we obtain exact eigenstates of underlying Dirac fermions in the presence of a single skyrmion configuration, which are used for computing induced chiral charge. Additionally, by employing this nonperturbative eigenbasis we calculate the susceptibilities of different translational symmetry breaking charge, bond and current density wave orders and translational symmetry preserving Kondo singlet formation. Based on the computed susceptibilities we establish spin Peierls and Kondo singlets as dominant competing orders of antiferromagnetism. We show favorable agreement between our findings and field theoretic predictions based on perturbative gradient expansion scheme which crucially relies on adiabatic principle and plane wave eigenstates for Dirac fermions. The methodology developed here can be applied to many other correlated systems supporting competition between spin-triplet and spin-singlet orders in both lower and higher spatial dimensions.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure