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Journal ArticleDOI

How Generic Scale Invariance Influences Quantum and Classical Phase Transitions

TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss a paradigm that has become of increasing importance in the theory of quantum phase transitions, namely, the coupling of the order-parameter fluctuations to other soft modes and the resulting impossibility of constructing a simple Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson theory in terms of order parameter only.
Abstract: This review discusses a paradigm that has become of increasing importance in the theory of quantum phase transitions, namely, the coupling of the order-parameter fluctuations to other soft modes and the resulting impossibility of constructing a simple Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson theory in terms of the order parameter only. The soft modes in question are manifestations of generic scale invariance, i.e., the appearance of long-range order in whole regions in the phase diagram. The concept of generic scale invariance and its influence on critical behavior is explained using various examples, both classical and quantum mechanical. The peculiarities of quantum phase transitions are discussed, with emphasis on the fact that they are more susceptible to the effects of generic scale invariance than their classical counterparts. Explicit examples include the quantum ferromagnetic transition in metals, with or without quenched disorder; the metal-superconductor transition at zero temperature; and the quantum antiferromagnetic transition. Analogies with classical phase transitions in liquid crystals and classical fluids are pointed out, and a unifying conceptual framework is developed for all transitions that are influenced by generic scale invariance.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, it has been shown that a gravitational dual to a superconductor can be obtained by coupling anti-de Sitter gravity to a Maxwell field and a charged scalar.
Abstract: It has been shown that a gravitational dual to a superconductor can be obtained by coupling anti-de Sitter gravity to a Maxwell field and charged scalar We review our earlier analysis of this theory and extend it in two directions First, we consider all values for the charge of the scalar field Away from the large charge limit, backreaction on the spacetime metric is important While the qualitative behaviour of the dual superconductor is found to be similar for all charges, in the limit of arbitrarily small charge a new type of black hole instability is found We go on to add a perpendicular magnetic field B and obtain the London equation and magnetic penetration depth We show that these holographic superconductors are Type II, ie, starting in a normal phase at large B and low temperatures, they develop superconducting droplets as B is reduced

1,059 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors summarize some of the basic issues, including the extent to which the quantum criticality in heavy-fermion metals goes beyond the standard theory of order-parameter fluctuations, the nature of the Kondo effect in the quantum-critical regime, the non-Fermi-liquid phenomena that accompany quantum criticalities and the interplay between quantum criticalness and unconventional superconductivity.
Abstract: Quantum criticality describes the collective fluctuations of matter undergoing a second-order phase transition at zero temperature. Heavy-fermion metals have in recent years emerged as prototypical systems to study quantum critical points. There have been considerable efforts, both experimental and theoretical, that use these magnetic systems to address problems that are central to the broad understanding of strongly correlated quantum matter. Here, we summarize some of the basic issues, including the extent to which the quantum criticality in heavy-fermion metals goes beyond the standard theory of order-parameter fluctuations, the nature of the Kondo effect in the quantum-critical regime, the non-Fermi-liquid phenomena that accompany quantum criticality and the interplay between quantum criticality and unconventional superconductivity. At a zero-temperature phase transition from one ordered state to another, fluctuations between the two states lead to quantum critical behaviour that can lead to unexpected physics. Metals with ‘heavy’ electrons often harbour such weird states.

1,055 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review studies of the electromagnetic response of various classes of correlated electron materials including transition metal oxides, organic and molecular conductors, intermetallic compounds with $d$- and $f$-electrons as well as magnetic semiconductors.
Abstract: We review studies of the electromagnetic response of various classes of correlated electron materials including transition metal oxides, organic and molecular conductors, intermetallic compounds with $d$- and $f$-electrons as well as magnetic semiconductors. Optical inquiry into correlations in all these diverse systems is enabled by experimental access to the fundamental characteristics of an ensemble of electrons including their self-energy and kinetic energy. Steady-state spectroscopy carried out over a broad range of frequencies from microwaves to UV light and fast optics time-resolved techniques provide complimentary prospectives on correlations. Because the theoretical understanding of strong correlations is still evolving, the review is focused on the analysis of the universal trends that are emerging out of a large body of experimental data augmented where possible with insights from numerical studies.

668 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The experimental status of the study of the superconducting phases of $f$-electron compounds is reviewed in this paper, where superconductivity has been found at the border of magnetic order as well as deep within ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetically ordered states.
Abstract: Intermetallic compounds containing $f$-electron elements display a wealth of superconducting phases, which are prime candidates for unconventional pairing with complex order parameter symmetries. For instance, superconductivity has been found at the border of magnetic order as well as deep within ferromagnetically and antiferromagnetically ordered states, suggesting that magnetism may promote rather than destroy superconductivity. Superconducting phases near valence transitions or in the vicinity of magnetopolar order are candidates for new superconductive pairing interactions such as fluctuations of the conduction electron density or the crystal electric field, respectively. The experimental status of the study of the superconducting phases of $f$-electron compounds is reviewed.

529 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The functional renormalization group as discussed by the authors is a flexible and unbiased tool for dealing with scale-dependent behavior of correlated fermion systems, such as Luttinger liquid behavior and the Kondo effect.
Abstract: Numerous correlated electron systems exhibit a strongly scale-dependent behavior. Upon lowering the energy scale, collective phenomena, bound states, and new effective degrees of freedom emerge. Typical examples include (i) competing magnetic, charge, and pairing instabilities in two-dimensional electron systems; (ii) the interplay of electronic excitations and order parameter fluctuations near thermal and quantum phase transitions in metals; and (iii) correlation effects such as Luttinger liquid behavior and the Kondo effect showing up in linear and nonequilibrium transport through quantum wires and quantum dots. The functional renormalization group is a flexible and unbiased tool for dealing with such scale-dependent behavior. Its starting point is an exact functional flow equation, which yields the gradual evolution from a microscopic model action to the final effective action as a function of a continuously decreasing energy scale. Expanding in powers of the fields one obtains an exact hierarchy of flow equations for vertex functions. Truncations of this hierarchy have led to powerful new approximation schemes. This review is a comprehensive introduction to the functional renormalization group method for interacting Fermi systems. A self-contained derivation of the exact flow equations is presented and frequently used truncation schemes are described. Reviewing selected applications it is shown how approximations based on the functional renormalization group can be fruitfully used to improve our understanding of correlated fermion systems.

511 citations

References
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Book
01 Jan 1975
TL;DR: In this article, a simple example of spin diffusion is presented, where the normal fluid and the memory function formalism are combined with Brownian motion and spin wave propagation in Ferromagnets.
Abstract: * Publishers Foreword * Editors Foreword * Introduction * A Simple ExampleSpin Diffusion * Formal Properties of Correlation Functions * The Normal Fluid * The Memory Function Formalism * Brownian Motion * Broken Symmetry * Hydrodynamic Spin Waves in Ferromagnets * Hydrodynamic Spin Waves in Antiferromagnets * Superfluids * Nematic Liquid Crystals * Superconductors

1,476 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The transport properties of disordered solids have been the subject of much work since at least the 1950s, but with a new burst of activity during the 1980s which has survived up to the present day as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The transport properties of disordered solids have been the subject of much work since at least the 1950s, but with a new burst of activity during the 1980s which has survived up to the present day. There have been numerous reviews of a more or less specialized nature. The present review aims to fill the niche for a non-specialized review of this very active area of research. The basic concepts behind the theory are introduced with more detailed sections covering experimental results, one-dimensional localization, scaling theory, weak localization, magnetic field effects and fluctuations.

1,466 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Andrew J. Millis1
TL;DR: I reexamine the work of Hertz on quantum phase transitions in itinerant fermion systems and obtains different regimes of behavior of the correlation length and free energy in the disordered phase of the effective bosonic theory.
Abstract: I reexamine the work of Hertz on quantum phase transitions in itinerant fermion systems. I determine when it is permissible to integrate out the fermions and analyze the critical phenomena via an effective bosonic theory in which only fluctuations of the ordering field are explicitly retained. By solving appropriate scaling equations I obtain the different regimes of behavior of the correlation length and free energy in the disordered phase of the effective bosonic theory. The results in many cases differ from those of Hertz, but make contact with more recent work on the dilute Bose gas. I briefly discuss the relevance of the results to heavy-fermion materials.

1,407 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The universal anomalies in the normal state of Cu-O high-temperature superconductors follow from a single hypothesis: There exist charge- and spin-density excitations with the absorptive part of the polarizability at low frequencies proportional to T, where T is the temperature, and constant otherwise.
Abstract: The universal anomalies in the normal state of Cu-O high-temperature superconductors follow from a single hypothesis: There exist charge- and spin-density excitations with the absorptive part of the polarizability at low frequencies \ensuremath{\omega} proportional to \ensuremath{\omega}/T, where T is the temperature, and constant otherwise. The behavior in such a situation may be characterized as that of a marginal Fermi liquid. The consequences of this hypothesis are worked out for a variety of physical properties including superconductivity.

1,399 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a cumulant expansion is used to calculate the transition temperature of simple-square Ising models with random-bond defects, and the results are -Tc-1 dTc/dx mod x=0.329 compared with the mean-field value of one.
Abstract: A cumulant expansion is used to calculate the transition temperature of Ising models with random-bond defects. For a concentration, x, of missing interactions in the simple-square Ising model the author finds -Tc-1 dTc/dx mod x=0=1.329 compared with the mean-field value of one. If the interactions are independent random variable with a width delta J/J identical to epsilon , the result is -Tc-1 dTc/d epsilon 2 mod epsilon =0=0.312 compared with the mean-field results of zero. An approximation yields the specific heat in the critical regime as C approximately C0/(1+x gamma 2C0), where gamma is a constant and C0 is the unperturbed specific heat at a renormalized temperature. Thus, the specific heat divergence is broadened over a temperature interval Delta T, with Delta T/Tc approximately x(1 alpha )/, where alpha is the critical exponent for the specific heat, and a maximum value of order x-1 is attained. Heuristic arguments show that this smoothing effect occurs if alpha >0.

1,385 citations