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Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals

Nature volume 413, pages 804–808 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

When a metal undergoes a continuous quantum phase transition, non-Fermi-liquid behaviour arises near the critical point. All the low-energy degrees of freedom induced by quantum criticality are usually assumed to be spatially extended, corresponding to long-wavelength fluctuations of the order parameter. But this picture has been contradicted by the results of recent experiments on a prototype system: heavy fermion metals at a zero-temperature magnetic transition. In particular, neutron scattering from CeCu6-x Aux 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 propose local criticality to be a phenomenon of general relevance to strongly correlated metals.

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Figure 1: A theoretical model of heavy fermions.
Figure 2: Diagram of a conventional quantum phase transition in Kondo lattices.
Figure 3: Diagram of a locally critical quantum phase transition in Kondo lattices.

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Acknowledgements

We thank G. Aeppli, A. Chubukov, P. Coleman, A. J. Millis, A. Schröder, A. M. Sengupta, C. M. Varma and P. Wölfle for discussions. This work was supported by the NSF, TCSUH and the A. P. Sloan Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics & Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, 77251-1892, Texas, USA

    Qimiao Si, Silvio Rabello & J. Lleweilun Smith

  2. Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611-8440, Florida, USA

    Kevin Ingersent

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  1. Qimiao Si
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Correspondence to Qimiao Si.

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Si, Q., Rabello, S., Ingersent, K. et al. Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals. Nature 413, 804–808 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35101507

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