Quasiparticle picture of high temperature superconductors in the frame of Fermi liquid with the fermion condensate

A model of a Fermi liquid with the fermion condensate (FC) is applied to the consideration of quasiparticle excitations in high temperature superconductors, in their superconducting and normal states. Within our model the appearance of the fermion condensate presents a quantum phase transition, that separates the regions of normal and strongly correlated electron liquids. Beyond the phase transition point the quasiparticle system is divided into two subsystems, one containing normal quasiparticles and the other --- fermion condensate localized at the Fermi surface and characterized by almost dispersionless single-particle excitations. In the superconducting state the quasiparticle dispersion in systems with FC can be presented by two straight lines, characterized by effective masses $M^*_{FC}$ and $M^*_L$, respectively, and intersecting near the binding energy which is of the order of the superconducting gap. This same quasiparticle picture persists in the normal state, thus manifesting itself over a wide range of temperatures as new energy scales. Arguments are presented that fermion systems with FC have features of a quantum protectorate.Comment: 12 pages, Late

3P2^3P_2-3F2^3F_2 Pairing in Dense Neutron Matter: The Spectrum of Solutions

The $^3P_2$-$^3F_2$ pairing model is generally considered to provide an adequate description of the superfluid states of neutron matter at densities some 2-3 times that of saturated symmetrical nuclear matter. The problem of solving the system of BCS gap equations expressing the $^3P_2$-$^3F_2$ model is attacked with the aid of the separation approach. This method, developed originally for quantitative study of S-wave pairing in the presence of strong short-range repulsions, serves effectively to reduce the coupled, singular, nonlinear BCS integral equations to a set of coupled algebraic equations. For the first time, sufficient precision becomes accessible to resolve small energy splittings between the different pairing states. Adopting a perturbative strategy, we are able to identify and characterize the full repertoire of real solutions of the $^3P_2$-$^3F_2$ pairing model, in the limiting regime of small tensor-coupling strength. The P-F channel coupling is seen to lift the striking parametric degeneracies revealed by a earlier separation treatment of the pure, uncoupled $^3P_2$ pairing problem. Remarkably, incisive and robust results are obtained solely on the basis of analytic arguments. Unlike the traditional Ginzburg-Landau approach, the analysis is not restricted to the immediate vicinity of the critical temperature, but is equally reliable at zero temperature. Interesting connections and contrasts are drawn between triplet pairing in dense neutron matter and triplet pairing in liquid $^3$He.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figur

Entropy paradox in strongly correlated Fermi systems

A system of interacting, identical fermions described by standard Landau Fermi-liquid (FL) theory can experience a rearrangement of its Fermi surface if the correlations grow sufficiently strong, as occurs at a quantum critical point where the effective mass diverges. As yet, this phenomenon defies full understanding, but salient aspects of the non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior observed beyond the quantum critical point are still accessible within the general framework of the Landau quasiparticle picture. Self-consistent solutions of the coupled Landau equations for the quasiparticle momentum distribution $n(p)$ and quasiparticle energy spectrum $\epsilon(p)$ are shown to exist in two distinct classes, depending on coupling strength and on whether the quasiparticle interaction is regular or singular at zero momentum transfer. One class of solutions maintains the idempotency condition $n^2(p)=n(p)$ of standard FL theory at zero temperature $T$ while adding pockets to the Fermi surface. The other solutions are characterized by a swelling of the Fermi surface and a flattening of the spectrum $\epsilon(p)$ over a range of momenta in which the quasiparticle occupancies lie between 0 and 1 even at T=0. The latter, non-idempotent solution is revealed by analysis of a Poincar\'e mapping associated with the fundamental Landau equation connecting $n(p)$ and $\epsilon(p)$ and validated by solution of a variational condition that yields the symmetry-preserving ground state. Paradoxically, this extraordinary solution carries the burden of a large temperature-dependent excess entropy down to very low temperatures, threatening violation of the Nernst Theorem. It is argued that certain low-temperature phase transitions offer effective mechanisms for shedding the entropy excess. Available measurements in heavy-fermion compounds provide concrete support for such a scenario.Comment: 34 pages, 6 figure

Neutron matter with a model interaction

An infinite system of neutrons interacting by a model pair potential is considered. We investigate a case when this potential is sufficiently strong attractive, so that its scattering length tends to infinity. It appeared, that if the structure of the potential is simple enough, including no finite parameters, reliable evidences can be presented that such a system is completely unstable at any finite density. The incompressibility as a function of the density is negative, reaching zero value when the density tends to zero. If the potential contains a sufficiently strong repulsive core then the system possesses an equilibrium density. The main features of a theory describing such systems are considered.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX. In press, Eur. Phys. J.

Energy scales and magnetoresistance at a quantum critical point

The magnetoresistance (MR) of CeCoIn_5 is notably different from that in many conventional metals. We show that a pronounced crossover from negative to positive MR at elevated temperatures and fixed magnetic fields is determined by the scaling behavior of quasiparticle effective mass. At a quantum critical point (QCP) this dependence generates kinks (crossover points from fast to slow growth) in thermodynamic characteristics (like specific heat, magnetization etc) at some temperatures when a strongly correlated electron system transits from the magnetic field induced Landau Fermi liquid (LFL) regime to the non-Fermi liquid (NFL) one taking place at rising temperatures. We show that the above kink-like peculiarity separates two distinct energy scales in QCP vicinity - low temperature LFL scale and high temperature one related to NFL regime. Our comprehensive theoretical analysis of experimental data permits to reveal for the first time new MR and kinks scaling behavior as well as to identify the physical reasons for above energy scales.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Interaction of the single-particle and collective degrees of freedom in non-magic nuclei: the role of phonon tadpole terms

A method of a consistent consideration of the phonon contributions to mass and gap operators in non-magic nuclei is developed in the so-called g^2 approximation, where g is the low-lying phonon creation amplitude. It includes simultaneous accounting for both the usual non-local terms and the phonon tadpole ones. The relations which allow the tadpoles to be calculated without any new parameters are derived. As an application of the results, the role of the phonon tadpoles in the single-particle strength distribution and in the single-particle energies and gap values has been considered. Relation to the problem of the surface nature of pairing is discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Elimination of 0+0^+ spurious states in the quasiparticle time blocking approximation

The quasiparticle time blocking approximation (QTBA) is considered as a model for the description of excitations in open-shell nuclei. The QTBA is an extension of the quasiparticle random phase approximation that includes quasiparticle-phonon coupling. In the present version of the QTBA, the pairing correlations are included within the framework of the BCS approximation. Thus, in this model, the $0^+$ spurious states appear, which are caused by the breaking of the symmetry related to the particle-number conservation. In this work, the method is described which solves the problem of the $0^+$ spurious states in the QTBA with the help of the projection technique. The method is illustrated by calculations of $0^+$ excitations in $^{120}$Sn nucleus.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures - To appear in the proceedings of the 59-th International Meeting on Nuclear Spectroscopy and Nuclear Structure, June 15-19, 2009, Cheboksary, Russi

Triplet Pairing in Neutron Matter

The separation method developed earlier by us [Nucl. Phys. {\bf A598} 390 (1996)] to calculate and analyze solutions of the BCS gap equation for $^1$S$_0$ pairing is extended and applied to $^3$P$_2$--$^3$F$_2$ pairing in pure neutron matter. The pairing matrix elements are written as a separable part plus a remainder that vanishes when either momentum variable is on the Fermi surface. This decomposition effects a separation of the problem of determining the dependence of the gap components in a spin-angle representation on the magnitude of the momentum (described by a set of functions independent of magnetic quantum number) from the problem of determining the dependence of the gap on angle or magnetic projection. The former problem is solved through a set of nonsingular, quasilinear integral equations, providing inputs for solution of the latter problem through a coupled system of algebraic equations for a set of numerical coefficients. An incisive criterion is given for finding the upper critical density for closure of the triplet gap. The separation method and its development for triplet pairing exploit the existence of a small parameter, given by a gap-amplitude measure divided by the Fermi energy. The revised BCS equations admit analysis revealing universal properties of the full set of solutions for $^3$P$_2$ pairing in the absence of tensor coupling, referring especially to the energy degeneracy and energetic order of these solutions. The angle-average approximation introduced by Baldo et al. is illuminated in terms of the separation-transformed BCS problem and the small parameter expansion..

Nodes of the Gap Function and Anomalies in Thermodynamic Properties of Superfluid 3^3He

Departures of thermodynamic properties of three-dimensional superfluid $^3$He from the predictions of BCS theory are analyzed. Attention is focused on deviations of the ratios $\Delta(T=0)/T_c$ and $[C_s(T_c)-C_n(T_c)]/C_n(T_c)$ from their BCS values, where $\Delta(T=0)$ is the pairing gap at zero temperature, $T_c$ is the critical temperature, and $C_s$ and $C_n$ are the superfluid and normal specific heats. We attribute these deviations to the momentum dependence of the gap function $\Delta(p)$, which becomes well pronounced when this function has a pair of nodes lying on either side of the Fermi surface. We demonstrate that such a situation arises if the P-wave pairing interaction $V(p_1,p_2)$, evaluated at the Fermi surface, has a sign opposite to that anticipated in BCS theory. Taking account of the momentum structure of the gap function, we derive a closed relation between the two ratios that contains no adjustable parameters and agrees with the experimental data. Some important features of the effective pairing interaction are inferred from the analysis.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Adaptation of the Landau-Migdal Quasiparticle Pattern to Strongly Correlated Fermi Systems

A quasiparticle pattern advanced in Landau's first article on Fermi liquid theory is adapted to elucidate the properties of a class of strongly correlated Fermi systems characterized by a Lifshitz phase diagram featuring a quantum critical point (QCP) where the density of states diverges. The necessary condition for stability of the Landau Fermi Liquid state is shown to break down in such systems, triggering a cascade of topological phase transitions that lead, without symmetry violation, to states with multi-connected Fermi surfaces. The end point of this evolution is found to be an exceptional state whose spectrum of single-particle excitations exhibits a completely flat portion at zero temperature. Analysis of the evolution of the temperature dependence of the single-particle spectrum yields results that provide a natural explanation of classical behavior of this class of Fermi systems in the QCP region.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures. Dedicated to 100th anniversary of A.B.Migdal birthda