We study the behavior of the entropy of the pseudogap Bose-Fermi Kondo model within a dynamical large-$N$ limit, where $N$ is related to the symmetry group of the model. This model is a general quantum impurity model that describes a localized level coupled to a fermionic bath having a density of states that vanishes in a powerlaw fashion near the Fermi energy and to a bosonic bath possessing a powerlaw spectral density below a cutoff energy. As a function of the couplings to the baths various quantum phase transitions can occur. We study how the impurity entropy changes across these zero-temperature transitions and compare our results with predictions based on the g-theorem. This is accomplished by an analysis of the leading and sub-leading scaling behavior. Our analysis shows that the $g$-theorem does not apply to the pseudogap Bose-Fermi Kondo model at the large-N level. This inapplicability originates from an anomalous contribution to the scaling function in the hydrodynamic regime where $k_B T>hbar omega$ which is absent in the quantum coherent regime, i.e., for $k_B T<hbar omega$. We also compare our results with those obtained for the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model.
We theoretically investigate the non-equilibrium quantum phase transition in a generic setup: the pseudogap Kondo model where a quantum dot couples to two-left (L) and right (R)-voltage-biased fermionic leads with power-law density of states (DOS) with respect to their Fermi levels {mu}_L/R, {rho}_c,L(R) ({omega}) propto |{omega} - {mu}_L(R) |r, and 0 < r < 1. In equilibrium (zero bias voltage) and for 0 < r < 1/2, with increasing Kondo correlations, in the presence of particle-hole symmetry this model exhibits a quantum phase transition from a unscreened local moment (LM) phase to the Kondo phase. Via a controlled frequency-dependent renormalization group (RG) approach, we compute analytically and numerically the non-equilibrium conductance, conduction electron T-matrix and local spin susceptibility at finite bias voltages near criticality. The current-induced decoherence shows distinct nonequilibrium scaling, leading to new universal non-equilibrium quantum critical behaviors in the above observables. Relevance of our results for the experiments is discussed.
Recent studies of the global phase diagram of quantum-critical heavy-fermion metals prompt consideration of the interplay between the Kondo interactions and quantum fluctuations of the local moments alone. Toward this goal, we study a Bose-Fermi Kondo model (BFKM) with Ising anisotropy in the presence of a local transverse field that generates quantum fluctuations in the local-moment sector. We apply the numerical renormalization-group method to the case of a sub-Ohmic bosonic bath exponent and a constant conduction-electron density of states. Starting in the Kondo phase at zero transverse-field, there is a smooth crossover with increasing transverse field from a fully screened to a fully polarized impurity spin. By contrast, if the system starts in its localized phase, then increasing the transverse field causes a continuous, Kondo-destruction transition into the partially polarized Kondo phase. The critical exponents at this quantum phase transition exhibit hyperscaling and take essentially the same values as those of the BFKM in zero transverse field. The many-body spectrum at criticality varies continuously with the bare transverse field, indicating a line of critical points. We discuss implications of these results for the global phase diagram of the Kondo lattice model.
We study the quantum chaos in the Bose-Fermi Kondo model in which the impurity spin interacts with conduction electrons and a bosonic bath at the intermediate temperature in the large $N$ limit. The out-of-time-ordered correlator is calculated based on the Bethe-Salpeter equation and the Lyapunov exponent $lambda_L$ is extracted. Our calculation shows that the Lyapunov exponent monotonically increases as the Kondo coupling $J_K$ increases, and it can reach an order of $lambda_Lsim T$ as $J_K$ approaches the $MCK$ point. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that $lambda_L$ decreases monotonously as the impurity and bosonic bath coupling $g$ increases, which is contrary to the general expectation that the most chaotic property occurs at the quantum critical point with the non-Fermi liquid nature.
The quantum criticality of the two-lead two-channel pseudogap Anderson model is studied. Based on the non-crossing approximation, we calculate both the linear and nonlinear conductance of the model at finite temperatures with a voltage bias and a power-law vanishing conduction electron density of states, $propto |omega-mu_F|^r$ ($0<r<1$) near the Fermi energy. Equilibrium and non-equilibrium quantum critical properties at the two-channel Kondo (2CK) to local moment (LM) phase transition are addressed by extracting universal scaling functions in both linear and non-linear conductances, respectively. Clear distinctions are found on the critical exponents between linear and non-linear conductance. The implications of these two distinct quantum critical properties for the non-equilibrium quantum criticality in general are discussed.
The pseudogap Anderson impurity model provides a classic example of an essentially local quantum phase transition. Here we study its single-particle dynamics in the vicinity of the symmetric quantum critical point (QCP) separating generalized Fermi liquid and local moment phases, via the local moment approach. Both phases are shown to be characterized by a low-energy scale that vanishes at the QCP; and the universal scaling spectra, on all energy scales, are obtained analytically. The spectrum precisely at the QCP is also obtained; its form showing clearly the non-Fermi liquid, interacting nature of the fixed point.