arXiv subjects

Kevin Ingersent

Publications and source records attributed to Kevin Ingersent.

44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2001

Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals

When a metal undergoes a continuous quantum phase transition, non-Fermi liquid behaviour arises near the critical point. It is standard to assume that all low-energy degrees of freedom induced by quantum criticality are spatially extended, corresponding to long-wavelength fluctuations of the order parameter. However, this picture has been contradicted by recent experiments on a prototype system: heavy fermion metals at a zero-temperature magnetic transition. In particular, neutron scattering from CeCu$_{6-x}$Au$_x$ has revealed anomalous dynamics at atomic length scales, leading to much debate as to the fate of the local moments in the quantum-critical regime. Here we report our theoretical finding of a locally critical quantum phase transition in a model of heavy fermions. The dynamics at the critical point are in agreement with experiment. We also argue that local criticality is a phenomenon of general relevance to strongly correlated metals, including doped Mott insulators.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1999

Quantum Critical Behavior in Kondo Systems

This article briefly reviews three topics related to the quantum critical behavior of certain heavy-fermion systems. First, we summarize an extended dynamical mean-field theory for the Kondo lattice, which treats on an equal footing the quantum fluctuations associated with the Kondo and RKKY couplings. The dynamical mean-field equations describe an effective Kondo impurity model with an additional coupling to vector bosons. Two types of quantum phase transition appear to be possible within this approach---the first a conventional spin-density-wave transition, the second driven by local physics. For the second type of transition to be realized, the effective impurity model must have a quantum critical point exhibiting an anomalous local spin susceptibility. In the second part of the paper, such a critical point is shown to occur in two variants of the Kondo impurity problem. Finally, we propose an operational test for the existence of quantum critical behavior driven by local physics. Neutron scattering results suggest that CeCu$_{6-x}$Au$_x$ passes this test.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1998

Quantum critical behavior in the Kondo problem with a pseudogap

The variant of the single-impurity Kondo problem in which the conduction-band density of states has a power-law pseudogap at the Fermi energy is known to exhibit a zero-temperature phase transition at a finite exchange coupling. The critical properties of this transition are studied both for N=2 and for N>>1, where N is the spin degeneracy. The critical exponents are consistent with a simple scaling form for the free energy. For any finite N, the temperature exponent of the local spin susceptibility at the critical Kondo coupling varies continuously with the power of the pseudogap. This raises the possibility that a single-particle pseudogap is responsible for the anomalous behavior of certain heavy-fermion metals close to a magnetic quantum phase transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1998

Renormalization-group study of Anderson and Kondo impurities in gapless Fermi systems

Thermodynamic properties are presented for four magnetic impurity models describing delocalized fermions scattering from a localized orbital at an energy-dependent rate $Γ(ε)$ which vanishes precisely at the Fermi level, $ε= 0$. Specifically, it is assumed that for small $|ε|$, $Γ(ε)\propto|ε|^r$ with $r>0$. The cases $r=1$ and $r=2$ describe dilute magnetic impurities in unconventional superconductors, ``flux phases'' of the two-dimensional electron gas, and zero-gap semiconductors. For the nondegenerate Anderson model, the depression of the low-energy scattering rate suppresses mixed valence in favor of local-moment behavior, and leads to a marked reduction in the exchange coupling on entry to the local-moment regime, with a consequent narrowing of the range of parameters within which the impurity spin becomes Kondo-screened. The relationship between the Anderson model and the exactly screened Kondo model with power-law exchange is examined. The intermediate-coupling fixed point identified in the latter model by Withoff and Fradkin (WF) has clear signatures in the thermodynamic properties and in the local magnetic response of the impurity. The underscreened, impurity-spin-one Kondo model and the overscreened, two-channel Kondo model both exhibit a conditionally stable intermediate-coupling fixed point in addition to unstable fixed points of the WF type. In all four models, the presence or absence of particle-hole symmetry plays a crucial role.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1996

Renormalization-group study of a magnetic impurity in a Luttinger liquid

A generalized Anderson model for a magnetic impurity in an interacting one-dimensional electron gas is studied via a mapping onto a classical Coulomb gas. For weak potential scattering, the local-moment parameter regime expands as repulsive bulk interactions become stronger, but the Kondo scale for the quenching of the impurity moment varies nonmonotonically. There also exist two regimes dominated by backward potential scattering: one in which the impurity is nonmagnetic, and another in which an unquenched local moment survives down to very low temperatures.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Frustration-induced non-Fermi-liquid behavior in a three-impurity Kondo model

A Kondo model for three spin-one-half impurities placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle is studied using the numerical renormalization-group method. The impurity spins can form two frustrated doublets which, because of the rotation symmetry, couple equally to the conduction band. Over a broad range of antiferromagnetic RKKY interaction strengths, this degeneracy drives the system to one of two novel, non-Fermi-liquid fixed points. Potential scattering is a relevant perturbation at one of these fixed points, but is marginal throughout the second regime.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Local-moment formation in gapless Fermi systems

Perturbative scaling is applied to the Anderson model for a localized level coupled to a Fermi system in which the density of states varies like $|E|^r$ near the Fermi energy ($E=0$). This model with $r=1$ or $2$ may describe magnetic impurities in unconventional superconductors and certain semiconductors. The pseudo-gap is found to suppress mixed valence in favor of local-moment behavior. However, the magnitude of the exchange coupling $J$ in the local-moment regime is reduced, thereby decreasing the parameter range within which the impurity becomes Kondo-screened at low temperatures.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1996

Behavior of magnetic impurities in gapless Fermi systems

In a number of systems, including certain semiconductors and unconventional superconductors, the effective density of states varies near the Fermi energy like $|E-E_F|^r$. The behavior of dilute magnetic impurities in such systems is studied using a non-perturbative renormalization-group approach. Close to particle-hole symmetry, the Kondo effect is suppressed for the cases of greatest relevance ($r=1$ and $2$). Away from this symmetry, any quenching of the impurity moment is accompanied by a low-temperature decrease in the impurity resistivity, rather than the increase found in metals.

cond-mat↗