Searcharxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2609.16147

Quantum Critical Solids

Subham Dutta Chowdhury·Leo Radzihovsky·Luca V. Delacrétaz
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

We study the fate of quantum solids with a vanishing velocity of transverse phonons. Such ``floppy'' solids exhibit a cubic elastic nonlinearity that is relevant in spatial dimensions $d<4$ and drives the system to a strongly-coupled Lifshitz quantum critical point in $d=3$, that we analyze in an $ε= 4-d$ expansion. The associated phase transition is generically first-order, preempting the system's full access to the strongly-coupled fixed point. Nevertheless, the critical data of this quantum critical point is accessible within a Ginzburg region in the vicinity of the transition. This cubic nonlinearity vanishes exactly in $d=2$, where the leading interactions are instead quartic and are marginal, leading to weak logarithmic singularities. We discuss possible realizations of this ``crystal Lifshitz criticality'' in quantum materials.

Explore related subjects

cond-mat.str-elhep-th

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Subham Dutta Chowdhury, Leo Radzihovsky, Luca V. Delacrétaz. 2026-09-14. Quantum Critical Solids. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.16147

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Collective excitations in chiral spin liquid: chiral roton and long-wavelength nematic mode

Chiral spin liquid (CSL) is a magnetic analogue of the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) liquid. Collective excitations play a vital role in shaping our understanding of these exotic quantum phases of matter and their quantum phase transitions. While the magneto-roton and long-wavelength chiral graviton modes in the FQH and fractional Chern insulator (FCI) liquids have been extensively explored, whether CSLs host analogous or qualitatively different modes remains elusive. Here we explore the collective excitations in the SU(2) symmetric CSL phase. Combining exact diagonalization and time-dependent variational principle calculations, we identify two spin-singlet collective modes: a chiral p-wave roton mode at finite momentum, and a elliptically polarized d-wave nematic mode at zero momentum, both of which are prominent across the CSL phase. The chiral p-wave singlet roton has no counterpart in FQH of FCI systems, and the q = 0 d-wave mode also exhibits fingerprint distinct from those of FQH/FCI liquids. We also elucidate that both singlet modes are general for CSLs on various lattice models. By tuning J2, we find the nematic mode to be pronouncedly soft, together with the spin-triplet two-spinon bound states, potentially promoting strong nematic and spin stripe instabilities. Our work paves the way for further understanding CSL from the dynamical perspective and provides new spectroscopic signatures for future experiments of CSL candidates.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2026

Extracting central charge from ground-state overlaps of spatially deformed Hamiltonians

We show that the conformal anomaly of a $(1+1)$-dimensional conformal field theory can be extracted directly from a ground-state wave-function overlap associated with a spatial conformal deformation. Focusing on the $q$-Möbius deformation, we derive an exact overlap formula between the deformed and undeformed ground states, whose exponent directly encodes the central charge. Motivated by this result, we construct a lattice estimator based solely on ground-state overlaps and apply it to representative critical quantum chains and the gapless edge modes of a two-dimensional Chern insulator. Numerical results demonstrate that the resulting overlaps provide a simple and robust probe of the central charge in microscopic models. We further demonstrate that the deformed ground states retain universal geometric structures in their entanglement spectra and entanglement entropies. These results provide a simple wave-function-based route to probing conformal data in critical systems and topological edge modes.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2026

Propagation and localization of spin excitations at altermagnetic domain walls

Altermagnets (A$\ell$Ms) are spin-compensated materials in which opposite-spin sublattices are connected by a symmetry that causes a spin splitting in their elementary excitations. As there is a strong effect of altermagnetism on domain wall properties, it is quite natural to also expect an enrichment of the physics of magnetic excitations at A$\ell$M domain walls. Here, we consider the propagation of spin eigen-excitations along domain walls in easy-axial $d$-wave A$\ell$Ms. Investigating the presence of bound states localized on a domain wall, we find that the effect of the A$\ell$M on the bound states strongly depends on the orientation of the domain wall relative to the crystallographic directions. If the domain wall is oriented along a nodal direction [100] or [010], A$\ell$M does not change the number of bound states; however, it leads to a nonlinear dispersion and a tilt of the wavefront. The effect of A$\ell$M is strongest when the domain wall is oriented along the directions [110] or [$\bar{1}$10], i.e., along the directions of the strongest A$\ell$M splitting in the magnon spectrum. In this case, (i) the additional gapped bound states appear, (ii) degeneracy of the eigenstates with respect to their polarization (right-handed or left-handed precession of the N{é}el vector) is removed, and (iii) the localization area of the bound states strongly depends on the eigenfrequency. The latter may lead to strong localization of the bound state at the domain wall. We further consider the influence of a static magnetic field that is applied along the easy axis, and find that the magnetic field induces an asymmetry between the localization regions on opposite sides of the domain wall and sets an upper limit on the absolute value of the propagating eigenstate's wave vector.

cond-mat.str-el↗