Locally critical quantum phase transitions in strongly correlated metals
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-xAux 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.
- Publication:
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Nature
- Pub Date:
- October 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1038/35101507
- arXiv:
- arXiv:cond-mat/0011477
- Bibcode:
- 2001Natur.413..804S
- Keywords:
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- Condensed Matter - Strongly Correlated Electrons
- E-Print:
- 20 pages, 3 figures