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arXiv:2304.07654 · Modern Physics Letters B

Wilson-Fisher fixed points in the presence of Dirac fermions

Igor F. Herbut

Published Oct 8, 2024• 16 citations
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Abstract

Wilson–Fisher expansion near upper critical dimension has proven to be an invaluable conceptual and computational tool in our understanding of the universal critical behavior in the [Formula: see text] field theories that describe low-energy physics of the canonical models, such as Ising, XY, and Heisenberg. Here, I review its application to a class of the Gross–Neveu–Yukawa (GNY) field theories, which emerge as possible universal description of a number of quantum phase transitions in electronic two-dimensional systems such as graphene and d-wave superconductors. GNY field theories may be viewed as minimal modifications of the [Formula: see text] field theories in which the order parameter is coupled to relativistic Dirac fermions through Yukawa term and which still exhibit critical fixed points in the suitably formulated Wilson–Fisher [Formula: see text]-expansion. I discuss the unified GNY field theory for a set of different symmetry-breaking patterns, with focus on the semimetal-Néel-ordered-Mott insulator quantum phase transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice, for which a comparison between the state-of-the-art [Formula: see text]-expansion, quantum Monte Carlo, large N, and functional renormalization-group calculations can be made.

DOI
10.1142/s0217984924300060

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•Oct 28, 2019•0 citations
Wilson–Fisher expansion near upper critical dimension has proven to be an invaluable conceptual and computational tool in our understanding of the universal critical behavior in the [Formula: see text] field theories that describe low-energy physics of the canonical models, such as Ising, XY, and Heisenberg. Here, I review its application to a class of the Gross–Neveu–Yukawa (GNY) field theories, which emerge as possible universal description of a number of quantum phase transitions in electronic two-dimensional systems such as graphene and d-wave superconductors. GNY field theories may be viewed as minimal modifications of the [Formula: see text] field theories in which the order parameter is coupled to relativistic Dirac fermions through Yukawa term and which still exhibit critical fixed points in the suitably formulated Wilson–Fisher [Formula: see text]-expansion. I discuss the unified GNY field theory for a set of different symmetry-breaking patterns, with focus on the semimetal-Néel-ordered-Mott insulator quantum phase transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice, for which a comparison between the state-of-the-art [Formula: see text]-expansion, quantum Monte Carlo, large N, and functional renormalization-group calculations can be made.
An important yet largely unsolved problem in the statistical mechanics of disordered quantum systems is to understand how quenched disorder affects quantum phase transitions in systems of itinerant fermions. In the clean limit, continuous quantum phase transitions of the symmetry-breaking type in Dirac materials such as graphene and the surfaces of topological insulators are described by relativistic (2+1)-dimensional quantum field theories of the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa (GNY) type. We study the universal critical properties of the chiral Ising, XY, and Heisenberg GNY models perturbed by quenched random-mass disorder, both uncorrelated or with long-range power-law correlations. Using the replica method combined with a controlled triple epsilon expansion below four dimensions, we find a variety of new finite-randomness critical and multicritical points with nonzero Yukawa coupling between low-energy Dirac fields and bosonic order parameter fluctuations, and compute their universal critical exponents. Analyzing bifurcations of the renormalization-group flow, we find instances of the fixed-point annihilation scenario—continuously tuned by the power-law exponent of long-range disorder correlations and associated with an exponentially large crossover length—as well as the transcritical bifurcation and the supercritical Hopf bifurcation. The latter is accompanied by the birth of a stable limit cycle on the critical hypersurface, which represents the first instance of fermionic quantum criticality with emergent discrete scale invariance.
Electrons on the half-filled honeycomb lattice are expected to undergo a direct continuous transition from the semimetallic into the antiferromagnetic insulating phase with increase of onsite Hubbard repulsion. We attempt to further quantify the critical behavior at this quantum phase transition by means of functional renormalization group (RG), within an effective Gross-Neveu-Yukawa theory for an SO(3)\mathrm{SO}(3)SO(3) order parameter (``chiral Heisenberg universality class''). Our calculation yields an estimate of the critical exponents $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\simeq}1.31$, ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\ensuremath{\phi}}\ensuremath{\simeq}1.01$, and ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\ensuremath{\Psi}}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.08$, in reasonable agreement with the second-order expansion around the upper critical dimension. To test the validity of the present method, we use the conventional Gross-Neveu-Yukawa theory with Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ order parameter (``chiral Ising universality class'') as a benchmark system. We explicitly show that our functional RG approximation in the sharp-cutoff scheme becomes one-loop exact both near the upper as well as the lower critical dimension. Directly in 2+12+12+1 dimensions, our chiral Ising results agree with the best available predictions from other methods within the single-digit percent range for $\ensuremath{\nu}$ and ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\ensuremath{\phi}}$ and the double-digit percent range for ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{\ensuremath{\Psi}}$. While one would expect a similar performance of our approximation in the chiral Heisenberg universality class, discrepancies with the results of other calculations here are more significant. Discussion and summary of various approaches is presented.
We perform large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the Hubbard model at half filling with a single Dirac cone close to the critical point, which separates a Dirac semimetal from an antiferromagnetically ordered phase where SU(2) spin rotational symmetry is spontaneously broken. We discuss the implementation of a single Dirac cone in the SLAC formulation for eight Dirac components and the influence of dynamically induced long-range superexchange interactions. The finite-size behavior of dimensionless ratios and the finite-size scaling properties of the Hubbard model with a single Dirac cone are shown to be superior compared to the honeycomb lattice. We extract the critical exponent believed to belong to the chiral Heisenberg Gross-Neveu-Yukawa universality class: the critical exponent ν = 1.02 ( 3 ) coincides for the two lattice types once honeycomb lattices of linear dimension L > 15 are considered. In contrast to the SLAC formulation, where the anomalous dimensions are estimated to be η ϕ = 0.73 ( 1 ) and η ψ = 0.09 ( 1 ) , they remain less stable on honeycomb lattices, but tend towards the estimates from the SLAC formulation.
We study quantum multicritical behavior in a $(2+1)\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{dimensional}$ Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theory with eight-component Dirac fermions coupled to two triplets of order parameters that act as Dirac masses and transform as (1,0)+(0,1)(1,0)+(0,1)(1,0)+(0,1) representation under the $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}(4)\ensuremath{\simeq} \mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SO}(3)$ symmetry group. This field theory is relevant to spin-1/2 fermions on honeycomb or $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux lattices, for example, near the transition points between an sss-wave superconductor and a charge-density wave, on one side, and N\'eel order, on the other. Two triplets of such order parameters always allow for a common pair of two other order parameters that would complete them to the maximal set of compatible (anticommuting) orders of five. We first derive a unitary transformation in the Nambu (particle-hole) space which maps any two such triplets, possibly containing some superconducting orders, onto purely insulating order parameters. This allows one to consider a universal SO(4) Gross-Neveu-Yukawa description of the multicriticality without any Nambu doubling. We then proceed to derive the renormalization-group flow of the coupling constants at one-loop order in $4\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ space-time dimensions, allowing also a more general set of order parameters transforming under $\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}({n}_{a})\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}({n}_{b})$. While for na=nb>2{n}_{a}={n}_{b}>2na​=nb​>2 in the bosonic sector and with fermions decoupled there is a stable fixed point of the flow, the Yukawa coupling to fermions quickly leads to its elimination by a generic fixed-point collision in the relevant range of fermion flavor numbers Nf{N}_{f}Nf​. This suggests the replacement of the critical behavior by a runaway flow in the physical case na=nb=3{n}_{a}={n}_{b}=3na​=nb​=3. The structure of the renormalization group flow at ${n}_{a}\ensuremath{\ne}{n}_{b}$ is also discussed, and some nonperturbative arguments in favor of the stability of the decoupled critical point when na=3{n}_{a}=3na​=3 and nb=1{n}_{b}=1nb​=1 in D=2+1D=2+1D=2+1 are provided.
We study the boundary criticality for the Gross-Neveu-Yukawa (GNY) models. Employing interacting Dirac fermions on a honeycomb lattice with armchair boundaries, we use determinant quantum Monte Carlo simulation to uncover rich boundary criticalities at the quantum phase transition to a charge density wave (CDW) insulator, including the ordinary, special, and extraordinary transitions. The Dirac fermions satisfy a Dirichlet boundary condition, while the boson field, representing the CDW order, obeys Dirichlet and Neumann conditions at the ordinary and special transitions, respectively, thereby enriching the critical GNY model. We develop a perturbative 4-ε renormalization group approach to compute the boundary critical exponents. Our framework generalizes to other GNY universality class variants and provides theoretical predictions for experiments.
This Thesis explores the formation of novel phases in Dirac systems that are driven by strong many-body interactions and collective quantum fluctuations. The central focus is the half-filled honeycomb lattice, which is the prototypical Dirac semimetal with low-energy excitations described by Dirac fermions. Of particular interest are exotic phases of matter that are not favoured at mean-field but are stabilised by fluctuations. Self-consistent path integral techniques are used to demonstrate that extended repulsive interactions favour charge order that breaks translational and other lattice symmetries. This charge order outcompetes interaction induced topological insulating phases, which are dominant at the mean-field level. The interacting quantum critical point was found to be near the critical point of a topological Lifshitz transition. Interacting Dirac fermions exhibit perhaps the simplest example of fermionic quantum criticality. Gross-Neveu-Yukawa field theories describe the universality class of semimetal-insulator transitions, which are driven by on-site and nearest neighbour repulsive interactions on the honeycomb lattice. The Dirac fermions couple to the dynamical order parameter fields and play a crucial role in determining the universal behaviour. Naturally, this variety of criticality is outside of the Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson paradigm. This idea is extended to include the translational symmetry breaking charge order. Here it is found that the breaking of crystal symmetries corresponds to Lorentz violating effective field theories. The criticality is analysed with the renormalisation group. The low energy excitations at the topological transition are gapless semi-Dirac fermionic quasiparticles that disperse linearly in one direction and quadratically in the other. The instabilities induced by generic short-range repulsions are investigated. The criticality of this anisotropic system is analysed with the renormalisation group in two spatial dimensions, and it is found to exhibit anisotropic order parameter correlations.