Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Quantum criticality

Nature volume 433, pages226–229(2005)Cite this article

Abstract

As we mark the centenary of Albert Einstein's seminal contribution to both quantum mechanics and special relativity, we approach another anniversary — that of Einstein's foundation of the quantum theory of solids. But 100 years on, the same experimental measurement that puzzled Einstein and his contemporaries is forcing us to question our understanding of how quantum matter transforms at ultra-low temperatures.

Access options

Rent or Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

from$8.99

Rent or Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1
Figure 2: Schematic illustration of a quantum critical point showing the phase diagram (a) and the growth of droplets of quantum critical matter near the quantum critical point (b).
Figure 3: ‘Singularity in the phase diagram’ illustrated by data taken from the material YbRh2Si2 where an applied magnetic field tunes the material to a quantum critical point25.

References

  1. 1

    Pais, A. Subtle is the Lord: the Science and the Life of Albert Einstein Ch. 20. 389–401 (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 1982).

    Google Scholar 

  2. 2

    Domb, C. The Critical Point: a Historical Introduction to the Modern Theory of Critical Phenomena (Taylor & Francis, London, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  3. 3

    Sachdev, S. Quantum Phase Transitions (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  4. 4

    Hertz, J. Quantum critical phenomena. Phys. Rev. B 14, 1165–1184 (1976).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. 5

    Laughlin, R. B., Lonzarich, G. G., Monthoux, P. & Pines, D. The quantum criticality conundrum. Adv. Phys. 50, 361–365. (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  6. 6

    von Lohneysen, H. et al. Non-Fermi-liquid behavior in a heavy-fermion alloy at a magnetic instability. Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 3262–3265 (1994).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. 7

    Stewart, G. R. Non-Fermi-liquid behavior in d- and f-electron metals. Rev. Mod. Phys. 73, 797–855 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. 8

    Julian, S. R. et al. The normal states of magnetic d and f transition metals. J. Phys. Condens. Matt. 8, 9675–9688 (1996).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. 9

    Grigera, S. A. et al. Magnetic field tuned quantum criticality in the metallic ruthenate Sr3Ru2O7 . Science 294, 329–332 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. 10

    Doiron-Leyraud, N. et al. Fermi liquid breakdown in the paramagnetic phase of a pure metal. Nature 425, 595–599 (2003).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. 11

    Schröder, A. et al. Onset of antiferromagnetism in heavy-fermion metals. Nature 407, 351–355 (2000).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  12. 12

    Millis, A. J. Effect of a non-zero temperature on quantum critical points in itinerant fermion systems. Phys. Rev. B 48, 7183–7196 (1993).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. 13

    Rosch, A. Interplay of disorder and spin fluctuations in the resistivity near a quantum critical point. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4280–4283 (1999).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. 14

    Belitz, D., Kirkpatrick, T. R. & Rollühler, J. Breakdown of the perturbative renormalization group at certain quantum critical points. Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 155701/1–4 (2004).

  15. 15

    Si, Q., Rabello, S., Ingersent K. & Smith, J. L. Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals. Nature 413, 804–808 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. 16

    Coleman, P., Pépin, C., Qimiao Si & Ramazashvili, R. How do Fermi liquids get heavy and die? J. Phys. Condens. Matt. 13, R723–R738 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  17. 17

    Senthil, T., Vishwanath, A., Balents, L., Sachdev, S. & Fisher, M. P. A. Deconfined quantum critical points. Science 303, 1490–1494 (2004).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. 18

    Mathur, N. D. et al. Magnetically mediated superconductivity in heavy fermion compounds. Nature 394, 39–43 (1998).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  19. 19

    Petrovic, C. et al. A new heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrIn/sub 5/: a relative of the cuprates? Europhys. Lett. 53, 354–359 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  20. 20

    Grigera, S. A. et al. Disorder-sensitive phase formation linked to metamagnetic quantum criticality. Science 306, 1154–1157 (2004).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  21. 21

    Kim, K. H., Harrison, N., Jaime, M., Boebinger, G. S. & Mydosh, J. A. Magnetic-field-induced quantum critical point and competing order parameters in URu2Si2 . Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 256401/1–4 (2003).

  22. 22

    Amitsuka, H. et al. Hidden order and weak antiferromagnetism in URu2Si2 . Physica B 312–3, 390–396 (2002).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. 23

    Chandra, P. et al. Hidden orbital order in URu2Si2 . Nature 417, 831–834 (2002).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  24. 24

    Chapline, G. & Laughlin, R. B. in Artificial Black Holes (eds Novello, M. et al.) 179–198 (World Scientific, Singapore, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  25. 25

    Custers, J. et al. The break up of heavy electrons at a quantum critical point. Nature 424, 524–527 (2003).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge discussions with P. Chandra, Z. Fisk, A. P. Mackenzie and D. Pines. P.C. is supported by the National Science Foundation. A.J.S. is supported by the Royal Society, the Leverhulme Trust and the EPSRC.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, 08854-8019, USA

    Piers Coleman

  2. School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Andrew J. Schofield

Authors
  1. Piers Coleman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrew J. Schofield
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Coleman, P., Schofield, A. Quantum criticality. Nature 433, 226–229 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03279

Download citation

Further reading

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing