Non-Fermi Liquid Behavior in a Disordered Kondo Alloy Model

Abstract

We study a mean-field model of a Kondo alloy using numerical techniques and analytic approximations. In this model, randomly distributed magnetic impurities interact with a band of conduction electrons and have a residual RKKY coupling of strength $J$. This system has a quantum critical point at $J=J_{c} \sim T_{K}^0$, the Kondo scale of the problem. The $T$ dependence of the spin susceptibility near the quantum critical point is singular with $χ(0)-χ(T) \propto T^γ$ and non-integer $γ$. At $J_{c}$, $γ= 3/4$. For $J\lesssim J_{c}$ there are two crossovers with decreasing $T$, first to $γ=3/2$ and then to $γ=2$, the Fermi-liquid value. The dissipative part of the time-dependent susceptibility $χ''(ω)\propto ω$ as $ω\to 0$ except at the quantum critical point where we find $χ''(ω) \propto \sqrtω$. The characteristic spin-fluctuation energy vanishes at the quantum critical point with $ω_{\rm sf} \sim (1-J/J_{c})$ for $J\lesssim J_{c}$, and $ω_{\rm sf} \propto T^{3/2}$ at the critical coupling.