arXiv subjects

Igor F. Herbut

Publications and source records attributed to Igor F. Herbut.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Symplectic symmetry of quadratic-band-touching Hamiltonians in two dimensions

The internal low-energy symmetry of the massless Lorentz-invariant Dirac Hamiltonian in $2+1$ dimensions is known to be $O(2N)$, where $N$ is the number of two-component Dirac fermions. Here we point out that there exists an analogous internal symmetry of the single-particle quadratic-band-touching Hamiltonian in two spatial dimensions, and it is the unitary symplectic group, $USp(2N)$. All fermionic bilinears belong to one of the three small irreducible representations of this group. The interacting theory that respects the $USp(2N)$ symmetry and the spatial rotations is constructed and found to allow two independent interaction terms. When these interactions are infrared-relevant the symplectic symmetry either remains preserved or becomes spontaneously broken to $USp(N) \times USp(N)$. The symmetry in the lattices such as honeycomb to infinite order in the dispersion's expansion in powers of local momentum is given by the overlap of the symplectic and the orthogonal groups. We show that this overlap is $O(2N) \bigcap USp(2N) = U(N)$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Phase transitions on the dark side of the Gross-Neveu model: Spontaneous $\textrm{O}(4N)$ symmetry breaking at repulsive coupling

Gross-Neveu model in 2+1 dimensions exhibits a continuous transition from gapless Dirac semimetal to the gapped quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator at a finite (attractive) coupling, at which the inversion and time-reversal symmetry become spontaneously broken, and the flavor O($M$) symmetry remains preserved. A unification of leading order parameters of 2+1 dimensional $N$ four-component Dirac fermions collects all Lorentz-singlet mass-like fermion bilinears, except the one condensing in the QAH state, into an irreducible representation of the O($M=4N$), and predicts another phase transition in the Gross-Neveu model to occur at a strong (repulsive) coupling. Here, a fermionic auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo algorithm is employed in order to study a lattice realization of the Gross-Neveu field theory in the repulsive regime, where the sign problem is absent. We indeed find the O($4N$) symmetry breaking transition out of Dirac semimetal to occur and to be weakly first-order for $N=2$, relevant to graphene. The size of the discontinuity and the magnitude of the critical coupling, however, both grow with $N$. Adding a finite chemical potential is found to break the symmetry and cause superconductivity. These results are in broad agreement with the predictions of the unified field theory. Our lattice model also displays an interesting exact O($2N$) symmetry, a subgroup of the low-energy O($4N$), and has the ordered ground state with the order parameter that belongs to its $N(2N-1)$-dimensional representation. Other order parameters are also examined, and a certain hierarchy among those that belong to different representations of the exact $O(2N)$ is observed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Beyond one-loop calculation: Higher-order effects on Gross-Neveu-Yukawa tensorial criticality

We study the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theory for the SO($N$) symmetric traceless rank-two tensor order parameter coupled to Majorana fermions using the $ε$-expansion around upper critical dimensions of $3+1$ to two loops. Previously we established in the one-loop calculation that the theory does not exhibit a critical fixed point for $N \geq 4$, but that nevertheless the stable fixed point inevitably emerges at a large number of fermion flavors $N_f$. For $N_f < N_{f,c1} \approx N/2$, no critical fixed point exists; for $N_{f,c1} < N_f < N_{f,c2}$, a real critical fixed point emerges from the complex plane but fails to satisfy the additional stability conditions necessary for a continuous phase transition; and finally only for $N_f > N_{f,c2} \approx N$, the fixed point satisfies the stability conditions as well. In the present work we compute the $O(ε)$ (two-loop) corrections to the critical flavour numbers $N_{f,c1} $ and $N_{f,c2}$. Most importantly, we observe a sharp decrease in $N_{f,c2}$ from its one-loop value, which brings it closer to the point $N_f =1$ relevant to the standard Gross-Neveu model. Some three-loop results are also presented and discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Quantum multicriticality and emergent symmetry in Dirac systems with two order parameters at three-loop order

Two-dimensional materials with interacting Dirac excitations can host quantum multicritical behavior near the phase boundaries of the semimetallic and two-ordered phases. We study such behavior in Gross--Neveu--Yukawa field theories where $N_f$ flavors of Dirac fermions are coupled to two order-parameter fields with $SO(N_A)$ and $SO(N_B)$ symmetry, respectively. To that end, we employ the perturbative renormalization group up to three-loop order in $4-ε$ spacetime dimensions. We distinguish two key scenarios: (i) The two orders are compatible as characterized by anticommuting mass terms, and (ii) the orders are incompatible. For the first case, we explore the stability of a quantum multicritical point with emergent $SO(N_A\!+\!N_B)$ symmetry. We find that the stability is controlled by increasing the number of Dirac fermion flavors. Moreover, we extract the series expansion of the leading critical exponents for the chiral $SO(4)$ and $SO(5)$ models up to third order in $ε$. Notably, we find a tendency towards rapidly growing expansion coefficients at higher orders, rendering an extrapolation to $ε=1$ difficult. For the second scenario, we study a model with $SO(4) \simeq SO(3) \times SO(3)$ symmetry, which was recently suggested to describe criticality of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in Dirac systems. However, it was also argued that a physically admissible renormalization-group fixed point only exists for $N_f$ above a critical number $N_{c}^>$. We determine the corresponding series expansion at three-loop order as $N_{c}^>\approx 16.83-7.14ε-7.12ε^2$. This suggests that the physical choice of $N_f=2$ may be a borderline case, where true criticality and pseudocriticality, as induced by fixed-point annihilation, are extremely challenging to distinguish.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Gross-Neveu-Yukawa SO(2) and SO(3) tensorial criticality

We investigate the relativistic SO(2)- and SO(3)-invariant Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theories for real, rank-two, symmetric, traceless tensor order parameters coupled to $N_{\text{f}}$ flavors of two-component Dirac fermions. These field theories arise as an effective description of fractionalized spin-orbital liquids. The two theories are the simplest and special cases of the more general class of field theories with SO($N$) symmetric tensor order parameter coupled to Dirac fermions, in which the symmetry is low enough to allow only one, and not the usual two quartic self-interaction terms. Using two-loop renormalization group near the upper critical dimension, we demonstrate that the theory exhibits a new critical fixed point for $N=3$ and the concomitant continuous phase transition for any value of $N_{\text{f}}$. For $N=2$ the theory is equivalent to the chiral XY model. We discuss the crucial role of the symmetry-allowed sextic self-interactions in the selection of the ground state configuration in the case of SO(3). The universal quantities such as the the anomalous dimensions of order parameters and fermions, the correlation length exponent, and the mass gap ratio between order parameter and fermion masses are computed up to $ε^{2}$ order.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Phases of three-dimensional $d$-wave superconductors with two attractive interactions

Three-dimensional $d$-wave ($j=2$) superconducting state may result from Cooper pairing in channels with different angular momenta and spin, such as $(l=0, s=2)$ or $(l=2, s=0)$. We consider spin-3/2 Luttinger fermions in the limit of small spin-orbit coupling parameter and with weak attractive interactions in both of these channels, and demonstrate that the stable $d$-wave superconducting phase of the system below critical temperature depends critically on the ratio of two interactions. When a weak inversion-breaking term in the kinetic energy is included, all three of the real, ferromagnetic, and cyclic phases can be realized within a narrow range around unit ratio. The result shows how models of multicomponent superconductors can be surprisingly sensitive to precise values of some of its parameters and display radically different superconducting ground states with their variation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Gross-Neveu-Yukawa theory of $\text{SO}(2N)\rightarrow \text{SO}(N) \times \text{SO}(N)$ spontaneous symmetry breaking

We construct and study the relativistic Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theory for the $\text{SO}(2N)$ real symmetric second-rank tensor order parameter coupled to $N_f$ flavors of $4N$-component Majorana fermions in 2+1 dimensions. Such a tensor order parameter unifies all Lorentz-invariant mass-gap orders for $N$ two-component Dirac fermions in two dimensions except for the $\text{SO}(2N)$-singlet anomalous quantum Hall state. The value $N_f=1$ corresponds to the canonical Gross-Neveu model. Within the leading-order $ε$-expansion around the upper critical dimension of $3+1$ the field theory exhibits a critical fixed point in its renormalization group flow which describes spontaneous symmetry breaking to $\text{SO}(N)\times \text{SO}(N)$ for the number of flavors of Majorana fermions higher than a critical value $N_{f,c2}\approx 2N$. For $N_{f, c1}< N_f < N_{f,c2}$ , with $N_{f,c1} \approx N$ the critical fixed point resides in the unstable region of the theory where the effective potential is unbounded from below, whereas for $N_f < N_{f,c1}$ there is no real critical fixed point, and the flow runs away. In either case, for $N_f < N_{f,c2}$ the transition should become fluctuation-induced first-order, and we discuss the dependence of its size on the parameters $N$ and $N_{f}$ in the theory. One-loop critical exponents for the universality class at $N_{f, c2}< N_f $ are computed and the flow diagram in various regimes is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Spontaneous breaking of the $\text{SO}(2N)$ symmetry in the Gross-Neveu model

The canonical Gross-Neveu model for $N$ two-component Dirac fermions in $2+1$ dimensions suffers a continuous phase transition at a critical interaction $g_{c1} \sim 1/N$ at large $N$, at which its continuous symmetry $\text{SO}(2N)$ is preserved and a discrete (Ising) symmetry becomes spontaneously broken. A recent mean-field calculation, however, points to an additional transition at a different critical $g_{c2}\sim -N g_{c1}$, at which $\text{SO}(2N) \rightarrow \text{SO}(N) \times \text{SO}(N)$. To study the latter phase transition we rewrite the Gross-Neveu interaction $g (\barψ ψ)^2$ in terms of three different quartic terms for the single ($L=1$) $4N$-component real (Majorana) fermion, and then extend the theory to $L>1$. This allows us to track the evolution of the fixed points of the renormalization group transformation starting from $L\gg 1$, where one can discern three distinct critical points which correspond to continuous phase transitions into (1) $\text{SO}(2N)$-singlet mass-order-parameter, (2) $\text{SO}(2N)$-symmetric-tensor mass-order-parameters, and (3) $\text{SO}(2N)$-adjoint nematic-order-parameters, down to $L=1$ value that is relevant to the standard Gross-Neveu model. Below the critical value of $L_c (N)\approx 0.35 N$ for $N\gg1$ only the Gross-Neveu critical point (1) still implies a diverging susceptibility for its corresponding ($\text{SO}(2N)$-singlet) order parameter, whereas the two new critical points that existed at large $L$ ultimately become equivalent to the Gaussian fixed point at $L=1$. We interpret this metamorphosis of the $\text{SO}(2N)$-symmetric-tensor fixed point from critical to spurious as an indication that the transition at $g_{c2}$ in the original Gross-Neveu model is turned first-order by fluctuations.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Superconductivity in Luttinger semimetals near the SU(4) limit

We consider the spin-3/2 Luttinger fermions with contact attraction near the SU(4)-symmetric limit of vanishing Luttinger spin-orbit-coupling parameter responsible for band inversion, and at finite chemical potential. In the case of exact SU(4) symmetry the previously considered $s$-wave and five $d$-wave superconducting order parameters together form a six-dimensional irreducible representation which transforms as an antisymmetric tensor under SU(4). In this limit, we find the SU(4) [$\simeq$ SO(6)] symmetry to be spontaneously broken down to the SO(5) at the superconducting transition. When the SU(4) is reduced to the SO(3) by the weak band-inverting kinetic energy term, we show that at low temperatures the superconducting state is $is+d$, with a dominant $s$ and a small $d$ component, and spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry. Relevance to superconductivity in doped semiconductors with diamond structure is discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Absence of SO(4) quantum criticality in Dirac semimetals at two-loop order

Evidence for relativistic quantum criticality of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in two-dimensional Dirac fermion systems has been found in large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations. However, the corresponding ($2+1$)-dimensional Gross--Neveu--Yukawa field theory with $N_f=2$ four-component Dirac fermions coupled to two triplets of order parameters does not exhibit a renormalization group fixed point at one-loop order. Instead, the theory only features a critical point for a large or very small fractional number of fermion flavors $N_f$, which disappears for a broad range of flavor numbers around the physical case, $N_f=2$, due to fixed-point annihilation. This raises the question on how to explain the observed scaling collapse in the quantum Monte Carlo data. Here, we extend previous renormalization-group analyses by studying a generalized model at two-loop order in $4-ε$ spacetime dimensions. We determine the $ε$ correction to the upper and lower critical flavor numbers for the fixed-point annihilation and find that they both go towards the physical case $N_f=2$. However, this only happens very slowly, such that an extrapolation to $ε=1$ still suggests the absence of criticality in $2+1$ dimensions. Thereby, we consolidate the finding that the continuum field theory does not feature a stable renormalization-group fixed point and no true quantum criticality would be expected for the considered system. We briefly discuss a possible reconciliation in terms of a complex conformal field theory. Further, we also explore the fixed-point structure in an enlarged theory space and identify a candidate stable fixed-point solution.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

$SO(8)$ unification and the large-N theory of superconductor-insulator transition of two-dimensional Dirac fermions

Electrons on honeycomb or pi-flux lattices obey effective massless Dirac equation at low energies and at the neutrality point, and should suffer quantum phase transitions into various Mott insulators and superconductors at strong two-body interactions. We show that 35 out of 36 such order parameters that provide Lorentz-invariant mass-gaps to Dirac fermions can be organized into a single irreducible tensor representation of the $SO(8)$ symmetry of the two-dimensional Dirac Hamiltonian for the spin-1/2 lattice fermions. The minimal interacting Lagrangian away from the neutrality point has the $SO(8)$ symmetry reduced to $U(1) \times SU(4)$ by finite chemical potential, and it allows only two independent interaction terms. When the Lagrangian is nearly $SO(8)$-symmetric and the ground state insulating at the neutrality point, we argue it turns superconducting at the critical value of the chemical potential through a ``flop" between the tensor components. The theory is exactly solvable when the $SU(4)$ is generalized to $SU(N)$ and $N$ taken large. A lattice Hamiltonian that may exhibit this transition, parallels with the Gross-Neveu model, and applicability to related electronic systems are briefly discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Wilson-Fisher fixed points in presence of Dirac fermions

Wilson-Fisher expansion near upper critical dimension has proven to be an invaluable conceptual and computational tool in our understanding of the universal critical behavior in the $ϕ^4$ field theories that describe low-energy physics of the canonical models such as Ising, XY, and Heisenberg. Here I review its application to a class of the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa (GNY) field theories, which emerge as possible universal description of a number of quantum phase transitions in electronic two-dimensional systems such as graphene and d-wave superconductors. GNY field theories may be viewed as minimal modifications of the $ϕ^4$ field theories in which the order parameter is coupled to relativistic Dirac fermions through Yukawa term, and which still exhibit critical fixed points in the suitably formulated Wilson-Fisher $ε$-expansion. I discuss the unified GNY field theory for a set of different symmetry-breaking patterns, with focus on the semimetal-Néel-ordered-Mott insulator quantum phase transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice, for which a comparison between the state-of-the-art $ε$-expansion, quantum Monte Carlo, large-N, and functional renormalization group calculations can be made.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

SO(4) multicriticality of two-dimensional Dirac fermions

We study quantum multicritical behavior in a (2+1)-dimensional Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theory with eight-component Dirac fermions coupled to two triplets of order parameters that act as Dirac masses, and transform as $(1,0) + (0,1)$ representation under the SO(4)$\simeq$SO(3)$\times$SO(3) symmetry group. This field theory is relevant to spin-1/2 fermions on honeycomb or $π$-flux lattices, for example, near the transition points between an $s$-wave superconductor and a charge-density wave, on one side, and Néel order, on the other. Two triplets of such order parameters always allow for a common pair of two other order parameters that would complete them to the maximal set of compatible (anticommuting) orders of five. We first derive a unitary transformation in the Nambu (particle-hole) space which maps any two such triplets, possibly containing some superconducting orders, onto purely insulating order parameters. This allows one to consider a universal SO(4) Gross-Neveu-Yukawa description of the multicriticality without any Nambu doubling. We then proceed to derive the renormalization-group flow of the coupling constants at one-loop order in $4-ε$ space-time dimensions, allowing also a more general set of order parameters transforming under SO($n_a$)$\times$SO($n_b$). While for $n_a=n_b > 2 $ in the bosonic sector and with fermions decoupled there is a stable fixed point of the flow, the Yukawa coupling to fermions quickly leads to its elimination by a generic fixed-point collision in the relevant range of fermion flavor numbers $N_f$. This suggests the replacement of the critical behavior by a runaway flow in the physical case $n_a=n_b=3$. The structure of the RG flow at $n_a\neq n_b$ is also discussed, and some non-perturbative arguments in favor of the stability of the decoupled critical point when $n_a=3$ and $n_b=1$ in $D=2+1$ are provided.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

p-wave superconductivity in Luttinger semimetals

We consider the three-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled Luttinger semimetal of "spin" $3/2$ particles in presence of weak attractive interaction in the $l=1$ (p-wave) channel, and determine the low-temperature phase diagram for both particle- and hole-dopings. The phase diagram depends crucially on the sign of the chemical potential, with two different states (with total angular momentum $j=0$ and $j=3$) competing on the hole-doped side, and three (one $j=1$ and two different $j=2$) states on the particle-doped side. The ground state condensates of Cooper pairs with the total angular momentum $j=1,2,3$ are selected by the quartic, and even sextic terms in the Ginzburg-Landau free energy. Interestingly, we find that all the p-wave ground states that appear in the phase diagram, while displaying different patterns of reduction of the rotational symmetry, preserve the time reversal symmetry. The resulting quasiparticle spectrum is either fully gapped or with point nodes, with nodal lines being absent.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Nematic Quantum Criticality in Dirac Systems

We investigate nematic quantum phase transitions in two different Dirac fermion models. The models feature twofold and fourfold, respectively, lattice rotational symmetries that are spontaneously broken in the ordered phase. Using negative-sign-free quantum Monte Carlo simulations and an $ε$-expansion renormalization group analysis, we show that both models exhibit continuous phase transitions. In contrast to generic Gross-Neveu dynamical mass generation, the quantum critical regime is characterized by large velocity anisotropies, with fixed-point values being approached very slowly. Hence both experimental and numerical investigations will not be representative of the infrared fixed point, but of a crossover regime characterized by drifting exponents.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Time reversal symmetry breaking and $d$-wave superconductivity of triple-point fermions

We study the possibility of complex tensor ($d$-wave) superconducting order in three-dimensional semimetals with chiral spin-1/2 triple-point fermions, which have an effective orbital angular momentum of $L=1$ arising from a crossing of three bands. Retaining the first three lowest order terms in momentum and assuming rotational symmetry we show that the resulting mean-field $d$-wave ground state breaks time reversal symmetry, and depends crucially on the coefficients of the two quadratic terms in the Hamiltonian. The phase diagram at a finite chemical potential displays both the "cyclic" and the "ferromagnetic" states, distinguished by the average value of the magnetization; in the former state it is minimal (zero), whereas in the latter it is maximal (two). In both states we find mini Bogoliubov-Fermi surfaces in the quasiparticle spectrum, conforming to recent general arguments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

p-wave superconductivity and the axi-planar phase of triple-point fermions

We consider weak-coupling superconductivity in the inversion- and rotation-symmetric system of two pseudospin $s=1$ low-energy fermions of opposite chirality. General contact interactions can lead to Cooper instabilities towards d-wave or towards a novel $2\times 3$ p-wave matrix order parameter. We compute the Ginzburg-Landau free energy for the latter. Remarkably, in this case the Ginzburg-Landau free energy can be minimized exactly, with the resulting ordered state being analogous to the ``axi-planar" p-wave, which exhibits extra degeneracy, and generally breaks time reversal symmetry. Whereas a generic Ginzburg-Landau free energy for our order parameter has only $U(1) \times SO(2) \times SO(3)$ symmetry, at weak coupling we find it displaying the enlarged $U(1)\times SO(3) \times U(1) \times SO(3)$ symmetry, broken down to $SO(2)\times SO(2)$ in the axi-planar ordered phase, and leading therefore to six Goldstone bosons. We show how the lattice, once restored, fixes the allowed values of the magnetization in the superconducting state by locking the spatial directions implicit in the order parameter to its high-symmetry axes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Bogoliubov-Fermi surface with inversion symmetry and electron-electron interactions: relativistic analogies and lattice theory

We show that the general low-energy Bogoliubov-de Genness Hamiltonian in a multiband superconductor with broken time reversal and preserved inversion symmetry is a generator of real four-dimensional representation of $SO(4)$. In the particular representation such an effective Hamiltonian is a purely imaginary matrix, and it is proportional to the antisymmetric tensor of a fictitious electromagnetic field which one can define in the momentum space. The quantum time evolution of the low-energy quasiparticle state becomes this way closely related to the classical relativistic motion of a charged particle in the presence of the Lorentz force that would be derived from such an electromagnetic field configuration. The condition for the emergence of a Bogoliubov-Fermi surface can then be understood as orthogonality of the fictitious electric and magnetic fields, which would allow zero Lorentz force. The corresponding zero-energy eigenstates are identified as the physical timelike and the unphysical spacelike solutions of the Lorentz force equation. We study the looming instability of the inversion-symmetric Bogoliubov-Fermi surface in presence of electron-electron interaction by formulating a concrete interacting model on the Lieb lattice that features the requisite $SO(4)$ kinetic energy term together with nearest-neighbor two-body repulsion. The latter is shown to favor dynamical breaking of the inversion symmetry. The inversion symmetry in our lattice model indeed becomes spontaneously broken at zero temperature at infinitesimal repulsion, with the original Bogoliubov-Fermi surface deformed and reduced in size. General features of this symmetry breaking phenomenon are discussed and a comparison with other works in literature is presented.

cond-mat.supr-con↗