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arXiv:cond-mat/0011200 · Physical review. B, Condensed matter

Griffiths effects and quantum critical points in dirty superconductors without spin-rotation invariance: One-dimensional examples

Olexei I. Motrunich, Kedar Damle, David A. Huse

Published May 22, 2001• 202 citations
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Abstract

We introduce a strong-disorder renormalization group (RG) approach suitable for investigating the quasiparticle excitations of disordered superconductors in which the quasiparticle spin is not conserved. We analyze one-dimensional models with this RG and with elementary transfer matrix methods. We find that such models with broken spin rotation invariance generically lie in one of two topologically distinct localized phases. Close enough to the critical point separating the two phases, the system has a power-law divergent low-energy density of states (with a nonuniversal continuously varying power law) in either phase, due to quantum Griffiths singularities. This critical point belongs to the same infinite-disorder universality class as the one-dimensional particle-hole symmetric Anderson localization problem, while the Griffiths phases in the vicinity of the transition are controlled by lines of strong (but not infinite) disorder fixed points terminating in the critical point.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.63.224204

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We study by the strong disorder renormalization group (RG) method the low-energy properties of the one-dimensional Hubbard model with random-hopping matrix-elements tmin<t<tmax{t}_{min}<t<{t}_{max}tmin​<t<tmax​, and with random onsite Coulomb repulsion terms $0\ensuremath{\leqslant}{U}_{min}<U<{U}_{max}$. There are two critical phases, corresponding to an infinite randomness spin random singlet for strong interactions (Umin>tmax)({U}_{min}>{t}_{max})(Umin​>tmax​) and to an orbital infinite randomness fixed point for vanishing interactions $({U}_{max}∕{t}_{max}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0)$. To each critical infinite randomness fixed point is connected a Griffiths phase, the correlation length, and dynamical exponent of which have well defined asymptotic dependences on the corresponding quantum control parameter. The theoretical predictions for the scaling in the vicinity of the critical points compare well to numerical RG simulations.
The effect of quenched disorder on the low-energy properties of various antiferromagnetic spin-ladder models is studied by a numerical strong disorder renormalization-group method and by density-matrix renormalization. For strong enough disorder the originally gapped phases with finite topological or dimer order become gapless. In these quantum Griffiths phases the scaling of the energy, as well as the singularities in the dynamical quantities, are characterized by a finite dynamical exponent, z, which varies with the strength of disorder. At the phase boundaries, separating topologically distinct Griffiths phases the singular behavior of the disordered ladders is generally controlled by an infinite randomness fixed point.
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We study a model for a quantum Ising spin glass in two space dimensions by Monte Carlo simulations. In the disordered phase at T=0, rare strongly correlated regions give rise to strong Griffiths singularities, as originally found by McCoy for a one-dimensional model. We find that there are power law distributions of the local susceptibility and local nonlinear susceptibility, which are characterized by a smoothly varying dynamical exponent z. Over a range of the disordered phase near the quantum transition, the local nonlinear susceptibility diverges. The local susceptibility does not diverge in the disordered phase but does diverge at the critical point. Approaching the critical point from the disordered phase, the limiting value of z seems to equal its value precisely at criticality, even though the physics of these two cases seems rather different. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
We study how quasiparticle interactions affect their localization properties in dirty superconductors with broken time reversal symmetry -- for example in a magnetic field. For SU(2) spin-rotation invariant (class C) systems, the only important coupling is the spin-spin triplet interaction, which we study within a renormalization group approach. Either an additional Zeeman coupling or a complete breaking of spin rotation symmetry renders all interactions irrelevant. These two situations realize, respectively, the non-interacting unitary Anderson and the ``thermal'' (class D) universality class. Our results imply a stable metallic phase in 2D for class D. Experimental implications are discussed.
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