arXiv subjects

Vivek Aji

Publications and source records attributed to Vivek Aji.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2012

Topological Excitations near the Local Critical Point in the Dissipative 2D XY model

The dissipative XY model in two spatial dimensions belongs to a new universality class of quantum critical phenomena with the remarkable property of the decoupling of the critical fluctuations in space and time. We have shown earlier that the quantum critical point is driven by proliferation in time of topological configurations that we termed warps. We show here that a warp may be regarded as a configuration of a monopoles surrounded symmetrically by anti-monopoles so that the total charge of the configuration is zero. Therefore the interaction with other warps is local in space. They however interact with other warps at the same spatial point logarithmically in time. As a function of dissipation warps unbind leading to a quantum phase transition. The critical fluctuations are momentum independent but have power law correlations in time.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly in Weyl semi-metals: Application to Pyrochlore Iridates

Weyl semimetals are three dimensional analogs of graphene where the energy of the excitations are a linear function of their momentum. Pyrochlore Iridates $(A_{2}Ir_{2}O_{7})$ with A =yttrium or lanthanide element) are conjectured to be examples of such a system, with the low energy physics described by twenty four Weyl nodes. An intriguing possibility is that these materials provide a physical realization of the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly. In this letter we investigate the properties of pyrochlore iridates in an applied magnetic field. We find that the dispersion of the lowest landau level depends on the direction of the applied magnetic field. As a consequence the magneto-conductivity in an electric field, applied parallel to the magnetic field is highly anisotropic, providing a detectable signature of the semi-metallic state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Excitonic Phases from Weyl Semi-Metals

Systems with strong spin-orbit coupling, which competes with other interactions and energy scales, offer a fertile playground to explore new correlated phases of matter. Weyl semimetals are an example where the phenomenon leads to a low energy effective theory in terms of massless linearly dispersing fermions in three dimensions. In the absence of interactions chirality is a conserved quantum number, protecting the semi-metallic physics against perturbations that are translationally invariant. In this letter we show that the interplay between interaction and topology yields a novel chiral excitonic insulator. The state is characterized by a complex vectorial order parameter leading to a gapping out of the Weyl nodes. A striking feature is that it is ferromagnetic, with the phase of the order parameter determining the direction of the induced magnetic moment.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Effect of inplane electric field on magnetotransport in helical metal

The existence of helical surface states in a bulk insulator, with anomalous magneto-electric properties, is a remarkable new development in solid state physics. The linear dispersion of the the fermions leads to a form of Lorentz invariance, with the Fermi velocity playing the role of the velocity of light ($c$). In a crossed electric and magnetic field the single particle states form Landau levels whose energies can be changed by varying the applied \emph{in-plane electric} field. The degeneracy remains constant and is determined by the magnetic field. In the letter we study the nature of the mangeto-oscillation in conductivity and thermopower as a function of the \emph{in-plane electric} field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2012

Field-effect mobility enhanced by tuning the Fermi level into the band gap of Bi2Se3

By eliminating normal fabrication processes, we preserve the bulk insulating state of calcium-doped Bi2Se3 single crystals in suspended nanodevices, as indicated by the activated temperature dependence of the resistivity at low temperatures. We perform low-energy electron beam irradiation (<16 keV) and electrostatic gating to control the carrier density and therefore the Fermi level position in the nanodevices. In slightly p-doped Bi2-xCaxSe3 devices, continuous tuning of the Fermi level from the bulk valence band to the band-gap reveals dramatic enhancement (> a factor of 10) in the field-effect mobility, which suggests suppressed backscattering expected for the Dirac fermion surface states in the gap of topological insulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Kondo and charge fluctuation resistivity due to Anderson impurities in graphene

Motivated by experiments on ion irradiated graphene, we compute the resistivity of graphene with dilute impurities. In the local moment regime we employ the perturbation theory up to third order in the exchange coupling to determine the behavior at high temperatures within the Kondo model. Resistivity due to charge fluctuations is obtained within the mean field approach on the Anderson impurity model. Due to the linear spectrum of the graphene the Kondo behavior is shown to depend on the gate voltage applied. The location of the impurity on the graphene sheet is an important variable determining its effect on the Kondo scale and resistivity. Our results show that for chemical potential nearby the node the charge fluctuations is responsible for the observed temperature dependence of resistivity while away from the node the spin fluctuations take over. Quantitative agreement with experimental data is achieved if the energy of the impurity level varies linearly with the chemical potential.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Electric and thermoelectric transport in graphene and helical metal in finite magnetic fields

We study electrical and thermoelectric transport properties of the surface state of the topological insulator and graphene in the presence of randomly distributed impurities. For finite impurity strength, the dependence of the transport coefficients as a function of gate voltage, magnetic field and impurity potential, are obtained numerically. In the limit of zero impurities (clean limit), analytic results for the peak values of the magneto-oscillations in thermopower are derived. Analogous with the conventional two dimensional electron gas, the peak values are universal in the clean limit. Unlike graphene, in topological insulators the coupling of the electron spin to its momentum leads to a dependence of the transport coefficients on the gyromagnetic ratio ($g$). We compare our results with data on graphene and identify unique signatures expected in topological insulators due to the magnetoelectric coupling.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

A comprehensive study of electric, thermoelectric and thermal conductivities of Graphene with short range unitary and charged impurities

Motivated by the experimental measurement of electrical and hall conductivity, thermopower and Nernst effect, we calculate the longitudinal and transverse electrical and heat transport in graphene in the presence of unitary scatterers as well as charged impurities. The temperature and carrier density dependence in this system display a number of anomalous features that arise due to the relativistic nature of the low energy fermionic degrees of freedom. We derive the properties in detail including the effect of unitary and charged impurities self-consistently, and present tables giving the analytic expressions for all the transport properties in the limit of small and large temperature compared to the chemical potential and the scattering rates. We compare our results with the available experimental data. While the qualitative variations with temperature and density of carriers or chemical potential of all transport properties can be reproduced, we find that a given set of parameters of the impurities fits the Hall conductivity, Thermopower and the Nernst effect quantitatively but cannot fit the conductivity quantitatively. On the other hand a single set of parameters for scattering from Coulomb impurities fits conductivity, hall resistance and thermopower but not Nernst.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Theory of Superconductivity in the Cuprates

The quantum critical fluctuations of the time-reversal breaking order parameter which is observed in the pseudogap regime of the Cuprates are shown to couple to the lattice equivalent of the local angular momentum of the fermions. Such a coupling favors scattering of fermions through angles close to $\pm π/2$ which is unambiguously shown to promote d-wave pairing. The right order of magnitude of both $T_c$ and the normalized zero temperature gap $Δ/T_c$ are calculated using the same fluctuations which give the temperature, frequency and momentum dependence of the the anomalous normal state properties for dopings near the quantum-critical value and with two parameters extracted from fit to such experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2009

Quantum-Criticality in Dissipative Quantum Two-Dimensional XY and Ashkin-Teller Models: Application to the Cuprates

In a recent paper [V. Aji and C.M. Varma, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 99}, 167003 (2007) \cite{aji1}] we have shown that the dissipation driven quantum phase transition of the 2D xy model represents a universality class where the correlations at criticality is local in space and power law in time. Here we provide a detailed analysis of the model. The local criticality is brought about by the decoupling of infrared singularities in space and time. The former leads to a Kosterlitz Thouless transition whereby the excitations of the transverse component of the velocity field (vortices) unbind in space. The latter on the other hand leads to a transition among excitations (warps) in the longitudinal component of the velocity field, which unbind in time. The quantum Ashkin-Teller model, with which the observed loop order in the Cuprates is described maps in the critical regime to the quantum xy model. We also discuss other models which are expected to have similar properties.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Weak Ferromagnetism Accompanying Loop current order in Underdoped Cuprates

We discuss the necessary symmetry conditions and the different ways in which they can be physically realized for the occurrence of ferromagnetism accompanying the loop current orbital magnetic order observed by polarized neutron-diffraction experiments or indeed any other conceivable principal order in the under-doped phase of cuprates. We contrast the Kerr effect experiments in single crystals observing ferromagnetism with the direct magnetization measurements in large powder samples, which do not observe it. We also suggest experiments to resolve the differences among the experiments, all of which we believe to be correct.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Kondo effect in an Antiferromagnetic metal

We study the fate of a spin-1/2 impurity in the itinerant antiferromagnetic metallic phase via a renormalization group analysis and a variational calculation. The local moment - conduction electron interaction hamiltonian in an antiferromagnetic metal is spin non-conserving. We show that for a general location of the impurity, the Kondo singularities still occur, but the ground state has a partially unscreened moment. We calculate the magnitude of this residual moment and the variation of the spin polarization with energy for a substitutional impurity as a function of the staggered magnetization. The usual Kondo effect only occurs if the impurity is placed at points where the magnetization is zero.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

Screening of point charge impurities in highly anisotropic metals: application to $μ^+$ spin relaxation in underdoped cuprates

We calculate the screening charge density distribution due to a point charge, such as that of a positive muon ($μ^+$), placed between the planes of a highly anisotropic layered metal. In underdoped hole cuprates the screening charge converts the charge density in the metallic-plane unit cells in the vicinity of the $μ^+$ to nearly its value in the insulating state. The current-loop ordered state observed by polarized neutron diffraction then vanishes in such cells, and also in nearby cells over a distance of order the intrinsic correlation length of the loop-ordered state. This in turn strongly suppresses the loop-current field at the $μ^+$ site. We estimate this suppressed field in underdoped YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6+x}$ and La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$, and find consistency with the observed 0.2--0.3 G field in the former case and the observed upper bound of $\sim$0.2 G in the latter case. This resolves the controversy between the neutron diffraction and $μ$SR experiments. The screening calculation also has relevance for the effect of other charge impurities in the cuprates, such as the dopants themselves.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Universality of the single-particle spectra of cuprate superconductors

All the available data for the dispersion and linewidth of the single-particle spectra above the superconducting gap and the pseudogap in metallic cuprates for any doping has universal features. The linewidth is linear in energy below a scale $ω_c$ and constant above. The cusp in the linewidth at $ω_c$ mandates, due to causality, a "waterfall", i.e., a vertical feature in the dispersion. These features are predicted by a recent microscopic theory. We find that all data can be quantitatively fitted by the theory with a coupling constant $λ_0$ and an upper cutoff at $ω_c$ which vary by less than 50% among the different cuprates and for varying dopings. The microscopic theory also gives these values to within factors of O(2).

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Spin Order accompanying Loop-Current Order in Cuprates

The theory of the long range order of orbital current loops in the pseudogap phase is generalized to include the effects of spin-orbit scattering. It is shown by symmetry arguments as well as by microscopic calculation that a specific in-plane spin-order must necessarily accompany the loop-current order. The microscopic theory also allows an estimate of the magnitude of the ordered spin-moment. Exchange coupling between the generated spins further modifies the in-plane direction of the spin moments. The structure and form factor for the spin and orbital moments combined with the induced spin order is consistent with the direction of moments deduced from polarization analysis in the neutron scattering experiment.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Search for the existence of circulating currents in high-$T_c$ superconductors using the polarized neutron scattering technique

We review experimental attempts using polarized neutron scattering technique to reveal the existence in high temperature superconductors of a long-range ordered state characterized by the spontaneous appearance of current loops. We draw a particular attention to our recent results (B. Fauqué {\it et al.}, {\it Phys. Rev. Lett.} {\bf 96}, 197001 (2006)) that, up to now, can be explained only by the theory of circulating current proposed by C.M. Varma.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Critical dynamics of superconducting BSCCO films

We report on a systematic investigation of the critical fluctuations in the complex conductivity of epitaxially-grown Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ films for ${T \lesssim T_c}$ using a two-coil inductive technique at zero applied field. We observe the static 3D-XY critical exponent in the superfluid density near $T_{c}$. Linear scaling analysis close to the critical temperature yields a dynamic critical exponent of $z = 2.0$ for small drive currents, but non-linear effects are seen to be important. At $T_{c}$, a non-linear scaling analysis also yields a 3D dynamic exponent of $z = 2.0$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Electronic-vibrational coupling in single-molecule devices

Experiments studying vibrational effects on electronic transport through single molecules have observed several seemingly inconsistent behaviors, ranging from up to 30 harmonics of a vibrational frequency in one experiment, to an absence of higher-harmonic peaks in another. We study the different manifestations of electronic-vibrational coupling in inelastic and elastic electron transport through single molecules. For the case of inelastic transport, higher harmonics are shown to be damped by additional small factors beyond powers of the electron-vibration coupling constant $λ$. Two mechanisms greatly increase the size of secondary peaks in inelastic transport: coupling between electron transport and spatial motion of the molecule, and the ``pumping'' of higher vibrational modes of the molecule when vibrational excitations do not completely relax between electron transits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗