No Arabic abstract
Complete expressions of the thermal-expansion coefficient $alpha$ and the Gr{u}neisen parameter $Gamma$ are derived on the basis of the self-consistent renormalization (SCR) theory. By considering zero-point as well as thermal spin fluctuation under the stationary condition, the specific heat for each class of the magnetic quantum critical point (QCP) specified by the dynamical exponent $z=3$ (FM) and $z=2$ (AFM) and the spatial dimension ($d=3$ and $2$) is shown to be expressed as $C_{V}=C_a-C_b$, where $C_a$ is dominant at low temperatures, reproducing the past SCR criticality endorsed by the renormalization group theory. Starting from the explicit form of the entropy and using the Maxwell relation, $alpha=alpha_a+alpha_b$ (with $alpha_a$ and $alpha_b$ being related to $C_a$ and $C_b$, respectively) is derived, which is proven to be equivalent to $alpha$ derived from the free energy. The temperature-dependent coefficient found to exist in $alpha_b$, which is dominant at low temperatures, contributes to the crossover from the quantum-critical regime to the Curie-Weiss regime and even affects the quantum criticality at 2d AFM QCP. Based on these correctly calculated $C_{V}$ and $alpha$, Gr{u}neisen parameter $Gamma=Gamma_a+Gamma_b$ is derived, where $Gamma_a$ and $Gamma_b$ contain $alpha_a$ and $alpha_b$, respectively. The inverse susceptibility coupled to the volume $V$ in $Gamma_b$ gives rise to divergence of $Gamma$ at the QCP for each class even though characteristic energy scale of spin fluctuation $T_0$ is finite at the QCP, which gives a finite contribution in $Gamma_a=-frac{V}{T_0}left(frac{partial T_0}{partial V}right)_{T=0}$. General properties of $alpha$ and $Gamma$ including their signs as well as the relation to $T_0$ and the Kondo temperature in temperature-pressure phase diagrams of Ce- and Yb-based heavy electron systems are discussed.
The mechanism of not diverging Gr{u}neisen parameter in the quantum critical heavy-fermion quasicrystal (QC) Yb$_{15}$Al$_{34}$Au$_{51}$ is analyzed. We construct the formalism for calculating the specific heat $C_V(T)$, the thermal-expansion coefficient $alpha(T)$, and the Gr{u}neisen parameter $Gamma(T)$ near the quantum critical point of the Yb valence transition. By applying the framework to the QC, we calculate $C_V(T)$, $alpha(T)$, and $Gamma(T)$, which explains the measurements. Not diverging $Gamma(T)$ is attributed to the robustness of the quantum criticality in the QC under pressure. The difference in $Gamma(T)$ at the lowest temperature between the QC and approximant crystal is shown to reflect the difference in the volume derivative of characteristic energy scales of the critical Yb-valence fluctuation and the Kondo temperature. Possible implications of our theory to future experiments are also discussed.
Using Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) approach we obtained analytical expressions for thermodynamic quantities of the system of triplons in spin gapped quantum magnets such as magnetization, heat capacity and the magnetic Gr{u}neisen parameter $Gamma_H$. Near the critical temperature, $Gamma_H$ is discontinuous and changes its sign upon the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) of triplons. On the other hand, in the widely used Hartree-Fock-Popov (HFP) approach there is no discontinuity neither in the heat capacity nor in the Gr{u}neisen parameter. We predict that in the low-temperature limit and near the critical magnetic field $H_c$, $Gamma_H$ diverges as $Gamma_Hsim 1/T^{2}$, while it scales as $Gamma_Hsim 1/(H-H_c)$ as the magnetic field approaches the quantum critical point at $H_c$.
Quasicrystals are metallic alloys that possess long-range, aperiodic structures with diffraction symmetries forbidden to conventional crystals. Since the discovery of quasicrystals by Schechtman et al. at 1984 (ref. 1), there has been considerable progress in resolving their geometric structure. For example, it is well known that the golden ratio of mathematics and art occurs over and over again in their crystal structure. However, the characteristic properties of the electronic states - whether they are extended as in periodic crystals or localized as in amorphous materials - are still unresolved. Here we report the first observation of quantum (T = 0) critical phenomena of the Au-Al-Yb quasicrystal - the magnetic susceptibility and the electronic specific heat coefficient arising from strongly correlated 4f electrons of the Yb atoms diverge as T -> 0. Furthermore, we observe that this quantum critical phenomenon is robust against hydrostatic pressure. By contrast, there is no such divergence in a crystalline approximant, a phase whose composition is close to that of the quasicrystal and whose unit cell has atomic decorations (that is, icosahedral clusters of atoms) that look like the quasicrystal. These results clearly indicate that the quantum criticality is associated with the unique electronic state of the quasicrystal, that is, a spatially confined critical state. Finally we discuss the possibility that there is a general law underlying the conventional crystals and the quasicrystals.
In symmetry protected topological (SPT) phases, the combination of symmetries and a bulk gap stabilizes protected modes at surfaces or at topological defects. Understanding the fate of these modes at a quantum critical point, when the protecting symmetries are on the verge of being broken, is an outstanding problem. This interplay of topology and criticality must incorporate both the bulk dynamics of critical points, often described by nontrivial conformal field theories, and SPT physics. Here, we study the simplest nontrivial setting - that of a 0+1 dimensional topological mode - a quantum spin - coupled to a 2+1D critical bulk. Using the large-$N$ technique we solve a series of models which, as a consequence of topology, demonstrate intermediate coupling fixed points. We compare our results to previous numerical simulations and find good agreement. We also point out intriguing connections to generalized Kondo problems and Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) models. In particular, we show that a Luttinger theorem derived for the complex SYK models, that relates the charge density to particle-hole asymmetry, also holds in our setting. These results should help stimulate further analytical study of the interplay between SPT physics and quantum criticality.
In solid state physics, the Gr{u}neisen parameter (GP), originally introduced in the study of the effect of changing the volume of a crystal lattice on its vibrational frequency, has been widely used to investigate the characteristic energy scales of systems with respect to the changes of external potentials. On the other hand, the GP is little investigated in a strongly interacting quantum gas systems. Here we report on our general results on the origin of GP, new identity and caloric effects in quantum gases of ultracold atoms. We prove that the symmetry of the dilute quantum gas systems leads to a simple identity among three different types of GPs, quantifying caloric effect induced respectively by variations of volume, magnetic field and interaction. Using exact Bethe ansatz solutions, we present a rigorous study of these different GPs and the quantum refrigeration in one-dimensional Bose and Femi gases. Based on the exact equations of states of these systems, we obtain analytic results for the singular behaviour of the GPs and the caloric effects at quantum criticality. We also predict the existence of the lowest temperature for cooling near a quantum phase transition. It turns out that the interaction ramp-up and -down in quantum gases provides a promising protocol of quantum refrigeration in addition to the usual adiabatic demagnetization cooling in solid state materials.