Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

M. Sigrist

Publications and source records attributed to M. Sigrist.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Superconductivty without inversion symmetry: MnSi versus CePt_3Si

Superconductivity in materials without spatial inversion symmetry is studied. We show that in contrast to common believe, spin-triplet pairing is not entirely excluded in such systems. Moreover, paramagnetic limiting is analyzed for both spin-singlet and triplet pairing. The lack of inversion symmetry reduces the effect of the paramagnetic limiting for spin-singlet pairing. These results are applied to MnSi and CePt_3Si.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Metamagnetism of itinerant electrons in multi-layer ruthenates

The problem of quantum criticality in the context of itinerant ferro- or metamagnetism has received considerable attention [S. A. Grigera et. al., Science 294, 329 (2001); C. Pfleiderer et. al., Nature, 414, 427 (2001)]. It has been proposed that a new kind of quantum criticality is realised in materials such as MnSi or Sr_3Ru_2O_7. We show based on a mean-field theory that the low-temperature behaviour of the n-layer ruthenates Sr_{n+1}Ru_nO_{3n+1} can be understood as a result of a Van Hove singularity (VHS). We consider a single band whose Fermi energy, E_F, is close to the VHS and deduce a complex phase diagram for the magnetism as a function of temperature, magnetic field and E_F. The location of E_F with respect to the VHS depends on the number of layers or can be tuned by pressure. We find that the ferromagnetic quantum phase transition in this case is not of second but of first order, with a metamagnetic quantum critical endpoint at high magnetic field. Despite its simplicity this model describes well the properties of the uniform magnetism in the single, double and triple layer ruthenates. We would like to emphasise that the origin of this behaviour lies in the band structure.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Field induced magnetic ordering transition in Kondo insulators

We study the 2D Kondo insulators in a uniform magnetic field using quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the particle-hole symmetric Kondo lattice model and a mean field analysis of the Periodic Anderson model. We find that the field induces a transition to an insulating, antiferromagnetically ordered phase with staggered moment in the plane perpendicular to the field. For fields in excess of the quasi-particle gap, corresponding to a metal in a simple band picture of the periodic Anderson model, we find that the metallic phase is unstable towards the spin density wave type ordering for any finite value of the interaction strength. This can be understood as a consequence of the perfect nesting of the particle and hole Fermi surfaces that emerge as the field closes the gap. We propose a phase diagram and investigate the quasi-particle and charge excitations in the magnetic field. We find good agreement between the mean-field and quantum Monte Carlo results.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Heavy fermion superconductivity and magnetic order in non-centrosymmetric $CePt_3Si$

$\rm CePt_3Si$ is a novel heavy fermion superconductor, crystallising in the $\rm CePt_3B$ structure as a tetragonally distorted low symmetry variant of the $\rm AuCu_3$ structure type. $\rm CePt_3Si$ exhibits antiferromagnetic order at $T_N \approx 2.2$ K and enters into a heavy fermion superconducting state at $T_c \approx 0.75$ K. Large values of $H_{c2}' \approx -8.5$ T/K and $H_{c2}(0) \approx 5$ T refer to heavy quasiparticles forming Cooper pairs. Hitherto, $\rm CePt_3Si$ is the first heavy fermion superconductor without a center of symmetry.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Field- and pressure-induced magnetic quantum phase transitions in TlCuCl_3

Thallium copper chloride is a quantum spin liquid of S = 1/2 Cu^2+ dimers. Interdimer superexchange interactions give a three-dimensional magnon dispersion and a spin gap significantly smaller than the dimer coupling. This gap is closed by an applied hydrostatic pressure of approximately 2kbar or by a magnetic field of 5.6T, offering a unique opportunity to explore the both types of quantum phase transition and their associated critical phenomena. We use a bond-operator formulation to obtain a continuous description of all disordered and ordered phases, and thus of the transitions separating these. Both pressure- and field-induced transitions may be considered as the Bose-Einstein condensation of triplet magnon excitations, and the respective phases of staggered magnetic order as linear combinations of dimer singlet and triplet modes. We focus on the evolution with applied pressure and field of the magnetic excitations in each phase, and in particular on the gapless (Goldstone) modes in the ordered regimes which correspond to phase fluctuations of the ordered moment. The bond-operator description yields a good account of the magnetization curves and of magnon dispersion relations observed by inelastic neutron scattering under applied fields, and a variety of experimental predictions for pressure-dependent measurements.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Transmission Phase Through Two Quantum Dots Embedded in a Four-Terminal Quantum Ring

We use the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a four-terminal ring based on a Ga[Al]As heterostructure for the measurement of the relative transmission phase. In each of the two interfering paths we induce a quantum dot. The number of electrons in the two dots can be controlled independently. The transmission phase is measured as electrons are added to or taken away from the individual quantum dots.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Magnetic field dependent transmission phase of a double dot system in a quantum ring

The Aharonov-Bohm effect is measured in a four-terminal open ring geometry based on a Ga[Al]As heterostructure. Two quantum dots are embedded in the structure, one in each of the two interfering paths. The number of electrons in the two dots can be controlled independently. The transmission phase is measured as electrons are added to or taken away from the individual quantum dots. Although the measured phase shifts are in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions, the phase evolution exhibits unexpected dependence on the magnetic field. For example, phase lapses are found only in certain ranges of magnetic field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Field-doping of C60 crystals: Polarization and Stark splitting

We investigate the possibility of doping C60 crystals by applying a strong electric field. For an accurate description of a C60 field-effect device we introduce a multipole expansion of the field, the response of the C60 molecules, and the Stark splitting of the molecular levels. The relevant response coefficients and splittings are calculated ab initio for several high symmetry orientations. Using a group theoretic analysis we extend these results to arbitrary orientations of the C60 molecules with respect to the external field. We find that, surprisingly, for the highest occupied (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), respectively, the two leading multipole components lift the degeneracy of the molecular level in the same way. Moreover the relative signs of the splittings turn out to be such that the splittings add up when the external field induces charge into the respective level. That means that when charge carriers are put into a level, its electronic structure is strongly modified. Therefore, in general, in C60 field-effect devices charge is not simply put into otherwise unchanged bands, so already because of this their physics should be quite different from that of the alkali-doped fullerenes.

cond-mat↗

Josephson current in s-wave superconductor / Sr_2RuO_4 junctions

The Josephson current between an s-wave and a spin-triplet superconductor Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ (SRO) is studied theoretically. In spin-singlet / spin-triplet superconductor junctions, there is no Josephson current proportional to $\sin ϕ$ in the absence of the spin-flip scattering near junction interfaces, where $ϕ$ is a phase-difference across junctions. Thus a dominant term of the Josephson current is proportional to $\sin 2ϕ$ . The spin-orbit scattering at the interfaces gives rise to the Josephson current proportional to $\cosϕ$, which is a direct consequence of the chiral paring symmetry in SRO.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

First-order transition between a small-gap semiconductor and a ferromagnetic metal in the isoelectronic alloys FeSi$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$

The contrasting groundstates of isoelectronic and isostructural FeSi and FeGe can be explained within an extended local density approximation scheme (LDA+U) by an appropriate choice of the onsite Coulomb repulsion, $U$ on the Fe-sites. A minimal two-band model with interband interactions allows us to obtain a phase diagram for the alloys FeSi$_{1-x}$Ge$_{x}$. Treating the model in a mean field approximation, gives a first order transition between a small-gap semiconductor and a ferromagnetic metal as a function of magnetic field, temperature, and concentration, $x$. Unusually the transition from metal to insulator is driven by broadening, not narrowing, the bands and it is the metallic state that shows magnetic order.

cond-mat↗

Chiral Correction to the Spin Fluctuation Feedback in two-dimensional p-wave Superconductors

We consider the stability of the superconducting phase for spin-triplet p-wave pairing in a quasi-two-dimensional system. We show that in the absence of spin-orbit coupling there is a chiral contribution to spin fluctuation feedback which is related to spin quantum Hall effect in a chiral superconducting phase. We show that this mechanism supports the stability of a chiral p-wave state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Mott-insulator transition in Ca(2-x)Sr(x)RuO4: A study of the electronic and magnetic properties

The electronic structures of the metallic and insulating phases of the alloy series Ca(2-x)Sr(x)RuO4 (0 <= x <= 2) are calculated using LDA, LDA+U and Dynamical Mean-Field Approximation methods. In the end members the groundstate respectively is an orbitally non-degenerate antiferromagnetic insulator (x=0) and a good metal (x=2). For x>0.5 the observed Curie-Weiss paramagnetic metallic state which possesses a local moment with the unexpected spin S=1/2, is explained by the coexistence of localized and itinerant Ru-4d-orbitals. For 0.2<x<0.5 we propose a state with partial orbital and spin ordering. An effective model for the localized orbital and spin degrees of freedom is discussed. The metal-insulator transition at x=0.2 is attributed to a switch in the orbital occupation associated with a structural change of the crystal.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Localization in ruthenates: magnetic and electronic properties of Ca(2-x)Sr(x)RuO(4)

The electronic structures of the metallic and insulating phases of Ca(2-x)Sr(x)RuO(4) (0<= x <= 2) are calculated using LDA, LDA+U and Dynamical Mean-Field Approximation methods. For x=0 the ground state is an orbitally non-degenerate antiferromagnetic insulator. For 0.2 0.5 the observed Curie-Weiss paramagnetic metallic state possessing a local moment with the unexpected spin S=1/2 is explained by the localization of only two of the three Ru-4d-orbitals.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Edge Singularity for the Optically Induced Kondo Effect in a Quantum Dot

We analyze the optically induced Kondo effect in the absorption spectrum for a quantum dot with an even number of electrons, for which the Kondo effect does not occur in the ground state. The Kondo exchange couplings generated for photo-excited states can be either antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic, which may result in different types of the edge singularities, depending on the microscopic parameters of the dot. We discuss critical properties in the spectrum by using low-energy effective field theory.

cond-mat↗

Chiral feedback for p-wave superconductors

In a quasi-two-dimensional $ p $-wave superconductor there find six Cooper pairing states which are degenerate within the weak-coupling approach. We show that this degeneracy can be lifted by feedback effect favoring the so-called chiral $ p $-wave state. This effect is based on the anomalous coupling between charge and current in a system with broken time reversal symmetry and parity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Order by disorder from non-magnetic impurities in a two-dimensional quantum spin liquid

We consider doping of non-magnetic impurities in the spin-1/2, 1/5-depleted square lattice. This structure, whose undoped phase diagram offers both magnetically ordered and spin-liquid ground states, is realized physically in CaV_4O_9. Doping into the ordered phase results in a progressive loss of order, which becomes complete at the percolation threshold. By contrast, non-magnetic impurities introduced in the spin liquids create a phase of weak but long-ranged antiferromagnetic order coexisting with the gapped state. The latter may be viewed as a true order-by-disorder phenomenon. We study the phase diagram of the doped system by computing the static susceptibility and staggered magnetization using a stochastic series-expansion quantum Monte Carlo technique.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Numerical renormalization-group study of spin correlations in one-dimensional random spin chains

We calculate the ground-state two-spin correlation functions of spin-1/2 quantum Heisenberg chains with random exchange couplings using the real-space renormalization group scheme. We extend the conventional scheme to take account of the contribution of local higher multiplet excitations in each decimation step. This extended scheme can provide highly accurate numerical data for large systems. The random average of staggered spin correlations of the chains with random antiferromagnetic (AF) couplings shows algebraic decay like $1/r^2$, which verifies the Fisher's analytic results. For chains with random ferromagnetic (FM) and AF couplings, the random average of generalized staggered correlations is found to decay more slowly than a power-law, in the form close to $1/\ln(r)$. The difference between the distribution functions of the spin correlations of the random AF chains and of the random FM-AF chains is also discussed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Phenomenology of the superconducting state in Sr2RuO4

The symmetry of the superconducting phase of Sr2RuO4 is identified as the odd-parity pairing state d(k)=\hat{z}(k_x \pm i k_y) based on recent experiments. The experimental evidence for the so-called orbital dependent superconductivity leads to a single-band description of superconductivity based on spin fluctuation mechanism. It is shown that the state \hat{z}(k_x \pm i k_y) can be stabilized by the spin fluctuation feedback mechanism analogous to the A-phase in 3He and by spin-orbit coupling effects.

cond-mat.supr-con↗