Supersymmetric Approach to Heavy-Fermion Systems

We present a new supersymmetric approach to the Kondo lattice model in order to describe simultaneously the quasiparticle excitations and the low-energy magnetic fluctuations in heavy-Fermion systems. This approach mixes the fermionic and the bosonic representation of the spin following the standard rules of superalgebra. Our results show the formation of a bosonic band within the hybridization gap reflecting the spin collective modes. The density of states at the Fermi level is strongly renormalized while the Fermi surface sum rule includes $n_{c}+1$ states. The dynamical susceptibility is made of a Fermi liquid superimposed on a localized magnetism contribution.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Multiquark Systems in a Constituent Quark Model with Chiral Dynamics

We discuss the stability of multiquark systems within the recent model of Glozman et al. where the chromomagnetic hyperfine interaction is replaced by pseudoscalar-meson exchange. We find that such an interaction binds a heavy tetraquark system $QQ\bar q\bar q$ ($Q=c, b$ and $q=u, d)$ by $0.2-0.4$ GeV. This is at variance with results of previous models where $cc\bar q\bar q$ is unstable.Comment: 6 pages, Plain Latex, Contribution to the Workshop''Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum II'', Como, Italy, June 26--29, 1996, to appear in the Proceedings, ed. Nora Brambilla, World Scientifi

Heavy-Flavour Pentaquarks in a Chiral Constituent Quark Model

Within the chiral constituent quark model of Glozman and Riska, we discuss the stability of heavy pentaquarks, i.e. hadrons containing four light quarks and a heavy antiquark. The spin-dependent part of the Hamiltonian is dominated by the short-range part of the Goldstone-boson-exchange interaction. We find that these systems are not bound, having an energy above the lowest dissociation threshold into a baryon and a meson.Comment: 10 pages + table

Quantum Phase Transitions

We give a general introduction to quantum phase transitions in strongly-correlated electron systems. These transitions which occur at zero temperature when a non-thermal parameter $g$ like pressure, chemical composition or magnetic field is tuned to a critical value are characterized by a dynamic exponent $z$ related to the energy and length scales $\Delta$ and $\xi$. Simple arguments based on an expansion to first order in the effective interaction allow to define an upper-critical dimension $D_{C}=4$ (where $D=d+z$ and $d$ is the spatial dimension) below which mean-field description is no longer valid. We emphasize the role of pertubative renormalization group (RG) approaches and self-consistent renormalized spin fluctuation (SCR-SF) theories to understand the quantum-classical crossover in the vicinity of the quantum critical point with generalization to the Kondo effect in heavy-fermion systems. Finally we quote some recent inelastic neutron scattering experiments performed on heavy-fermions which lead to unusual scaling law in $\omega /T$ for the dynamical spin susceptibility revealing critical local modes beyond the itinerant magnetism scheme and mention new attempts to describe this local quantum critical point.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Thermodynamics of Fateev's models in the Presence of External Fields

We study the Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz equations for a one-parameter quantum field theory recently introduced by V.A.Fateev. The presence of chemical potentials produces a kink condensate that modifies the excitation spectrum. For some combinations of the chemical potentials an additional gapless mode appears. Various energy scales emerge in the problem. An effective field theory, describing the low energy excitations, is also introduced.Comment: To appear in Nucl.Phys.