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Disordered Dirac Fermions : Multifractality Termination and Logarithmic Conformal Field Theories

Jean-Sébastien Caux, Nobuhiko Taniguchi, A. M. Tsvelik

Published Oct 23, 1998• 22 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We reexamine in detail the problem of fermions interacting with a non-Abelian random vector potential. Without resorting to the replica or supersymmetry approaches, we show that in the limit of infinite disorder strength the theory possesses an exact solution which takes the form of a logarithmic conformal field theory. We show that the proper treatment of the locality conditions in the SU(2) theory leads to the termination of the multifractal spectrum, or in other words to the termination of the infinite hierarchies of negative-dimensional operators that were thought to occur. Based on arguments of logarithmic degeneracies, we conjecture that such a termination mechanism should be present for general SU(N). Moreover, our results lead to the conclusion that the previous replica solution of this problem yields incorrect results.

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We reexamine in detail the problem of fermions interacting with a non-Abelian random vector potential. Without resorting to the replica or supersymmetry approaches, we show that in the limit of infinite disorder strength the theory possesses an exact solution which takes the form of a logarithmic conformal field theory. We show that the proper treatment of the locality conditions in the SU(2) theory leads to the termination of the multifractal spectrum, or in other words to the termination of the infinite hierarchies of negative-dimensional operators that were thought to occur. Based on arguments of logarithmic degeneracies, we conjecture that such a termination mechanism should be present for general SU(N). Moreover, our results lead to the conclusion that the previous replica solution of this problem yields incorrect results.
We consider Dirac fermions interacting with a disordered non-Abelian vector potential. The exact solution is obtained through a special type of conformal field theory including logarithmic correlators, without resorting to the replica or supersymmetry approaches. It is shown that the proper treatment of the conformal theory leads to a different multifractal scaling behavior than initially expected. Moreover, the previous replica solution is found to be incorrect at the level of higher correlation functions.
We present a nonperturbative calculation of all multifractal scaling exponents at strong disorder for critical wave functions of Dirac fermions interacting with a non-Abelian random vector potential in two dimensions. The results, valid for an arbitrary number of fermionic flavors, are obtained by deriving from conformal field theory an effective Gaussian model for the wave function amplitudes and mapping it to the thermodynamics of a single particle in a random potential. Our spectrum confirms that the wave functions remain delocalized in the presence of strong disorder.
We obtain the disorder averaged (critical) four-point correlation functions for N species of (two-dimensional Euclidean) Dirac fermions subject to a (Gaussian) random su(N) gauge field. The replica approach and the strong disorder approach yield identical results, as one might expect in the light of recent developments in the N=2 case [1]. We establish a connection with `dressed' Z_N twist fields in the c=-2 logarithmic conformal field theory (LCFT), thereby extending the recent connection to `dressed' Z_2 twists [1,2]. We draw attention to the fact that `dressed' Z_2 twist operators have previously appeared in the description of half flux-quantum quasiholes in the bulk excitations of the Haldane--Rezayi Quantum Hall state [3].
We investigate the physics of fermions on a square lattice with π flux, subjected to disordered random Z_{2} gauge fields that arise from flux defects, i.e., plaquettes with zero flux. At half filling, where the system possesses BDI symmetry, we show that a new class of critical states is realized, with the states at zero energy showing a multifractal character that depends on the flux defect concentration c and local correlation between defects. For any concentration of flux defects, we find a nonfreezing multifractal spectrum with a tendency toward termination. We characterize this class of critical states by uncovering a robust relation between the conductivity and the Lyapunov exponent, which is satisfied by the states irrespective of the concentration or the local correlations between the flux defects. We demonstrate that renormalization group methods, based on perturbing the Dirac point, fail to capture this new class of critical states. This Letter not only offers new challenges to the theory of disordered systems in the chiral classes, but is also likely to be useful in understanding a variety of problems where fermions interact with discrete gauge fields.
Recently, a concept of generalized multifractality, which characterizes fluctuations and correlations of critical eigenstates, was introduced and explored for all 10 symmetry classes of disordered systems. Here, by using the nonlinear sigma-model ($\mathrm{NL}\ensuremath{\sigma}\mathrm{M}$) field theory, we extend the theory of generalized multifractality to boundaries of systems at criticality. Our numerical simulations on two-dimensional systems of symmetry classes A, C, and AII fully confirm the analytical predictions of pure-scaling observables and Weyl symmetry relations between critical exponents of surface generalized multifractality. This demonstrates the validity of the $\mathrm{NL}\ensuremath{\sigma}\mathrm{M}$ for the description of Anderson-localization critical phenomena, not only in the bulk but also on the boundary. The critical exponents strongly violate generalized parabolicity, in analogy with earlier results for the bulk, corroborating the conclusion that the considered Anderson-localization critical points are not described by conformal field theories. We further derive relations between generalized surface multifractal spectra and linear combinations of Lyapunov exponents of a strip in quasi-one-dimensional geometry, which hold under the assumption of invariance with respect to a logarithmic conformal map. Our numerics demonstrate that these relations hold with an excellent accuracy. Taken together, our results indicate an intriguing situation: the conformal invariance is broken but holds partially at critical points of Anderson localization.
Multifractals arise in various systems across nature whose scaling behavior is characterized by a continuous spectrum of multifractal exponents Δ_{q}. In the context of Anderson transitions, the multifractality of critical wave functions is described by operators O_{q} with scaling dimensions Δ_{q} in a field-theory description of the transitions. The operators O_{q} satisfy the so-called Abelian fusion expressed as a simple operator product expansion. Assuming conformal invariance and Abelian fusion, we use the conformal bootstrap framework to derive a constraint that implies that the multifractal spectrum Δ_{q} (and its generalized form) must be quadratic in its arguments in any dimension d≥2.