We consider two immobile spin $1/2$ fermions in a two-dimensional magnetic system that is close to the $ O(3)$ magnetic quantum critical point (QCP) which separates magnetically ordered and disordered phases. Focusing on the disordered phase in the vicinity of the QCP, we demonstrate that the criticality results in a strong long range attraction between the fermions, with potential $V(r) \propto -1/r^ν$, $ν\approx 0.75$, where $r$ is separation between the fermions. The mechanism of the enhanced attraction is similar to Casimir effect and corresponds to multi-magnon exchange processes between the fermions. While we consider a model system, the problem is originally motivated by recent establishment of magnetic QCP in hole doped cuprates under the superconducting dome at doping of about 10\%. We suggest the mechanism of magnetic critical enhancement of pairing in cuprates.
The self-energy, spectral functions and susceptibilities of 2D systems with strong ferromagnetic fluctuations are considered within the quasistatic approach. The self-energy at low temperatures T has a non-Fermi liquid form in the energy window w<Delta near the Fermi level, where Delta is the ground-state spin splitting for magnetically ordered ground state, and Delta ~ T^(1/2) ln^(1/2)(vF/T) in the quantum critical regime (vF is the Fermi velocity). Spectral functions have a two-peak structure at finite T above the magnetically ordered ground state, which implies quasi-splitting of the Fermi …
The problem of pairing in anisotropic electron systems possessing patches of fermion condensate in the vicinity of the van Hove points is analyzed. Attention is directed to opportunities for the occurrence of non-BCS pairing correlations between the states belonging to the fermion condensate. It is shown that the physical emergence of such pairing correlations would drastically alter the behavior of the single-particle Green function, the canonical pole of Fermi-liquid theory being replaced by a branch point.
We consider the evolution of d-wave pairing, mediated by nearly critical spin fluctuations, with the coupling strength. We show that the onset temperature for pairing, T*, smoothly evolves between weak and strong coupling, passing through a broad maximum at intermediate coupling. At strong coupling, T* is of order the magnetic exchange energy J. We argue that for all couplings, pairing is confined to the vicinity of the Fermi surface. We also find that thermal spin fluctuations only modestly reduce T*, even at criticality, but they substantially smooth the gap anisotropy. The latter evolves wi…
Observation of robust superconductivity in some of the iron based superconductors in the vicinity of a Lifshitz point where a spin density wave instability is suppressed as the {hole} band drops below the Fermi energy raise questions for spin-fluctuation theories. Here we discuss spin-fluctuation pairing for a bilayer Hubbard model, which goes through such a Lifshitz transition. We find s$_\pm$ pairing with a transition temperature that peaks beyond the Lifshitz point and a gap function that has essentially the same magnitude but opposite sign on the incipient hole band as it does on the elect…
We perform a non-perturbative analysis of the strong interaction between gapless nodal fermions and the nematic order parameter in two-dimensional d_{x^2-y^2} superconductors. We predict that the critical nematic fluctuation can generate a dynamical nodal gap if the fermion flavor N is smaller than a threshold N_c. Such gap generation leads to an additional is-wave Cooper pairing instability, which induces a fully gapped d_{x^2-y^2}+is superconducting dome in the vicinity of the nematic quantum critical point. The opening of a dynamical gap has important consequences, including the saturation …
We study the non-local superconducting pairing of two interacting Anderson impurities, which has an instability near the quantum critical point from the competition between the Kondo effect and an antiferromagnetic inter-impurity spin exchange interaction. As revealed by the dynamics over the whole energy range, the superconducting pairing fluctuations acquire considerable strength from an energy scale much higher than the characteristic spin fluctuation scale while the low energy behaviors follow those of the staggered spin susceptibility. We argue that the glue to the superconducting pairing…
We discuss the structure of topological solitons in a general non-Heisenberg model of isotropic two-dimensional magnet with spin S=1, in the vicinity of a special point where the model symmetry is enhanced to SU(3). It is shown that upon perturbing the SU(3) symmetry, solitons with odd topological charge become unstable and bind into pairs.
We study the interlayer pairing states in layered systems of two different 2d electronic subsystems, one with relativistic linear and the other with non-relativistic parabolic spectrum. The complex order parameter of the paired state has a two component structure. We investigate the pairing state formation on the mean-field level, determine the critical interaction strength and evaluate the effective potential. The anisotropic three-band spectrum of quasiparticles depends explicitly on the phase difference of the order parameter components, rotates in momentum space as it changes. It is subjec…
Motivated by the unconventional superconductivity observed in heavy-fermion metals, we investigate pairing susceptibilities near a continuous quantum phase transition of the Kondo-destruction type. We solve two-impurity Bose-Fermi Anderson models with Ising and Heisenberg forms of the interimpurity exchange interaction using continuous-time quantum Monte-Carlo and numerical renormalization-group methods. Each model exhibits a Kondo-destruction quantum critical point separating Kondo-screened and local-moment phases. For antiferromagnetic interimpurity exchange interactions, singlet pairing is …
Fermionic superfluids can undergo phase transitions into different kinds of normal regimes, loosely characterized by whether Cooper pairs remain locally stable. If the normal phase retains strong pairing fluctuations, it behaves like a liquid of vortices, which has been observed in cuprate superconductors. We argue that analogous strongly correlated normal states exist in two-dimensional neutral fermion liquids near unitarity, where superfluid is destroyed by fast rotation. These states have non-universal properties, and if they develop as distinct thermodynamic phases they can be characterize…
There is growing evidence that the unconventional spatial inhomogeneities in the doped high-Tc superconductors are accompanied by the pairing of electrons, subsequent quantum phase transitions (QPTs), and condensation in coherent states. We show that these superconducting states can be obtained from phase separation instabilities near the quantum critical points. We examine electron coherent and incoherent pairing instabilities using our results on exact diagonalization in pyramidal and octahedron Hubbard-like clusters under variation of chemical potential (or doping), interaction strength, te…
We investigate numerically the problem of few (one, two) noninteracting spin$-1/2$ fermions in a shallow harmonic trap coupled via contact repulsive interactions to a uniform one-dimensional bath of lattice bosons, described by the Bose-Hubbard model. Through extensive density-matrix renormalization group calculations, we extract the binding energy and the effective mass of quasiparticles, including dressed impurities (polarons) and their two-body bound states (bipolarons), emerging from the effective non-local Casimir interaction between the impurities. We show that the mixture exhibits rathe…
Magnetic interactions are widely believed to play a crucial role in the microscopic mechanism leading to high critical temperature superconductivity. It is therefore important to study the signatures of pairing in the magnetic excitation spectrum of simple models known to show unconventional superconducting tendencies. Using the Density Matrix Renormalization Group technique, we calculate the dynamical spin structure factor $S({\bf k},ω)$ of a generalized $t-U-J$ Hubbard model away from half-filling in a two-leg ladder geometry. The addition of $J$ enhances pairing tendencies. We analyze quant…
We study pumping of magnons to the Dirac points of magnon's Brillouin zone of a ferromagnet on a honeycomb lattice. In particular, we consider second-order Suhl process, when due to interaction between magnons, a pair of magnons is created due to absorption of two electromagnetic wave quanta. We introduce a bosonic analog of the Cooper ladder for the magnon pair, which is shown to enhance the pairing of magnons at the Dirac points. As a result of pairing of the Dirac magnons, the system becomes unstable towards formation of a magnetic state with zero or reduced magnetization - the Dirac magnon…
This conference summary and outlook provides a personal overview of the topics and themes of the August 2009 Dresden meeting on quantum criticality and novel phases. The dichotomy between the local moment and the itinerant views of magnetism is revisited and refreshed in new materials, new probes and new theoretical ideas. New universality and apparent zero temperature phases of matter move us beyond the old ideas of quantum criticality. This is accompanied by alternative pairing interactions and as yet unidentified phases developing in the vicinity of quantum critical points. In discussing no…
The gap structure of a novel uranium-based superconductor UTe$_2$, situated in the vicinity of ferromagnetic quantum criticality, has been investigated via specific-heat $C(T,H,Ω)$ measurements in various field orientations. Its angular $Ω(ϕ,θ)$ variation shows a characteristic shoulder anomaly with a local minimum in $H \parallel a$ at moderate fields rotated within the $ab$ and $ac$ planes. Based on the theoretical calculations, these features can be attributed to the presence of point nodes in the superconducting gap along the $a$ direction. Under the field orientation along the easy-magnet…
On Degeneracies of Density, Magnetic, and Pairing Responses: How Competing Orders Echo Underlying Symmetries in the Hubbard Model
Max-Planck-Institut für Festkörperforschung（马克斯·普朗克固体研究所）；Institute of Solid State Physics, TU Wien（维也纳工业大学固体物理研究所）；Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste（的里雅斯特大学物理系）
Paired states, trions and quarteting states in one-dimensional SU(4) attractive fermions are investigated via exact Bethe ansatz calculations. In particular, quantum phase transitions are identified and calculated from the quarteting phase into normal Fermi liquid, trionic states and spin-2 paired states which belong to the universality class of linear field-dependent magnetization in the vicinity of critical points. Moreover, unified exact results for the ground state energy, chemical potentials and complete phase diagrams for isospin $S=1/2, 1, 3/2$ attractive fermions with external fields a…
The normal-state behavior of the temperature-dependent Hall coefficient in cuprate superconductors is investigated using linear response theory. The Hall conductivity is of paramount importance in that its sign and magnitude directly reflect the sign of the charge carriers and the size of particle-hole asymmetry effects. Here we apply a strong-pairing fluctuation theory that incorporates pseudogap effects known to be important in cuprate transport. As a result, in the vicinity of the transition temperature our theoretical approach goes beyond the conventional superconducting fluctuation formal…
The two-band model as introduced by Suhl, Matthias and Walker [Phys. Rev. Lett. 3, 551 (1959)] accounts for multiple energy bands in the vicinity of the Fermi energy which could contribute to electron pairing in superconducting systems. Here, extensions of this model are investigated wherein the effects of coupled superconducting order parameters with different symmetries and the presence of strong electron-lattice coupling on the superconducting transition temperature Tc are studied. Substantial enhancements of Tc are obtained from both effects.
We describe the quantum phase transition of a Fermi gas occurring when the quasiparticle excitation energy has a minimum in momentum space which crosses zero on a sphere of radius k_0 \neq 0. The quasiparticles have a universal interaction which controls the physical properties in vicinity of the quantum critical point. We discuss applications to fermionic superfluids formed by pairing two fermion species, near the point where the densities of the two species become unequal.
Superconductivity in heavy-fermion materials can sometimes appear in the incoherent regime and in proximity to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. Here we study these phenomena using large scale determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulations and the dynamical cluster approximation with various impurity solvers for the periodic Anderson model with frustrated hybridization. We obtain solid evidence for a $d_{x^2-y^2}$ superconducting phase arising from an incoherent normal state in the vicinity of an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. There is a coexistence region and the width of t…
The magnetic excitation spectra in the vicinity of the resonant peak, as observed by inelastic neutron scattering in cuprates, are studied within the memory-function approach. It is shown that at intermediate doping the superconducting gap induces a double dispersion of the peak, with an anisotropy rotated between the downward and upward branch. Similar behavior, but with a spin-wave dispersion at higher energies, is obtained for the low-doping case assuming a large pairing pseudogap.
Superconductivity in strongly correlated electrons can emerge out from a normal state that is beyond the Landau's Fermi liquid paradigm, often dubbed as "non-Fermi liquid". While the theory for non-Fermi liquid is still not yet conclusive, a recent study on the exactly-solvable Hatsugai-Kohmoto (HK) model has suggested a non-Fermi liquid ground state whose Green's function resembles the Yang-Rice-Zhang ansatz for cuprates [P. W. Phillips, L. Yeo and E. W. Huang, Nat. Phys. $\bf{16}$, 1175 (2020)]. Similar to the effect of on-site Coulomb repulsion in the Hubbard model, the repulsive interactio…
The quantum critical behavior of the 2+1 dimensional Gross--Neveu model in the vicinity of its zero temperature critical point is considered. The model is known to be renormalisable in the large $N$ limit, which offers the possibility to obtain expressions for various thermodynamic functions in closed form. We have used the concept of finite--size scaling to extract information about the leading temperature behavior of the free energy and the mass term, defined by the fermionic condensate and determined the crossover lines in the coupling ($\g$) -- temperature ($T$) plane. These are given by $…
We develop a composite Dirac fermion theory for the fractional quantum Hall effects (QHE) near charge neutrality in graphene. We show that the interactions between the composite Dirac fermions lead to dynamical mass generation through exciton condensation. The four-fold spin-valley degeneracy is fully lifted due to the mass generation and the exchange effects such that the odd-denominator fractional QHE observed in the vicinity of charge neutrality can be understood in terms of the integer QHE of the composite Dirac fermions. At the filling factor $ν=1/2$, we show that the massive composite Di…
