New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates
Magnetic fluctuations and electrons couple in intriguing ways in the vicinity of zero-temperature phase transitions—quantum critical points—in conducting materials. Quantum criticality is implicated in non-Fermi liquid behavior of diverse materials and in the formation of unconventional superconduct...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2014-11-01
|
| Series: | Physical Review X |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.4.041027 |
| _version_ | 1818399682149220352 |
|---|---|
| author | Lucile Savary Eun-Gook Moon Leon Balents |
| author_facet | Lucile Savary Eun-Gook Moon Leon Balents |
| author_sort | Lucile Savary |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Magnetic fluctuations and electrons couple in intriguing ways in the vicinity of zero-temperature phase transitions—quantum critical points—in conducting materials. Quantum criticality is implicated in non-Fermi liquid behavior of diverse materials and in the formation of unconventional superconductors. Here, we uncover an entirely new type of quantum critical point describing the onset of antiferromagnetism in a nodal semimetal engendered by the combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations, and which is predicted to occur in the iridium oxide pyrochlores. We formulate and solve a field theory for this quantum critical point by renormalization group techniques and show that electrons and antiferromagnetic fluctuations are strongly coupled and that both these excitations are modified in an essential way. This quantum critical point has many novel features, including strong emergent spatial anisotropy, a vital role for Coulomb interactions, and highly unconventional critical exponents. Our theory motivates and informs experiments on pyrochlore iridates and constitutes a singular realistic example of a nontrivial quantum critical point with gapless fermions in three dimensions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T07:24:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c3ce283bca3f424e927594519160ee25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2160-3308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T07:24:33Z |
| publishDate | 2014-11-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review X |
| spelling | doaj.art-c3ce283bca3f424e927594519160ee252022-12-21T23:11:32ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082014-11-014404102710.1103/PhysRevX.4.041027New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore IridatesLucile SavaryEun-Gook MoonLeon BalentsMagnetic fluctuations and electrons couple in intriguing ways in the vicinity of zero-temperature phase transitions—quantum critical points—in conducting materials. Quantum criticality is implicated in non-Fermi liquid behavior of diverse materials and in the formation of unconventional superconductors. Here, we uncover an entirely new type of quantum critical point describing the onset of antiferromagnetism in a nodal semimetal engendered by the combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations, and which is predicted to occur in the iridium oxide pyrochlores. We formulate and solve a field theory for this quantum critical point by renormalization group techniques and show that electrons and antiferromagnetic fluctuations are strongly coupled and that both these excitations are modified in an essential way. This quantum critical point has many novel features, including strong emergent spatial anisotropy, a vital role for Coulomb interactions, and highly unconventional critical exponents. Our theory motivates and informs experiments on pyrochlore iridates and constitutes a singular realistic example of a nontrivial quantum critical point with gapless fermions in three dimensions.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.4.041027 |
| spellingShingle | Lucile Savary Eun-Gook Moon Leon Balents New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates Physical Review X |
| title | New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates |
| title_full | New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates |
| title_fullStr | New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates |
| title_short | New Type of Quantum Criticality in the Pyrochlore Iridates |
| title_sort | new type of quantum criticality in the pyrochlore iridates |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.4.041027 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucilesavary newtypeofquantumcriticalityinthepyrochloreiridates AT eungookmoon newtypeofquantumcriticalityinthepyrochloreiridates AT leonbalents newtypeofquantumcriticalityinthepyrochloreiridates |