Electronic structure of heavy fermion system CePt 2In 7 from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Shen, Bing; Yu, Li; Liu, Kai; ...

2017-06-01

We have carried out high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements on the Cebased heavy fermion compound CePt 2In 7 that exhibits stronger two-dimensional character than the prototypical heavy fermion system CeCoIn 5. Multiple Fermi surface sheets and a complex band structure are clearly resolved. We have also performed detailed band structure calculations on CePt 2In 7. The good agreement found between our measurements and the calculations suggests that the band renormalization effect is rather weak in CePt 2In 7. A comparison of the common features of the electronic structure of CePt 2In 7 and CeCoIn5 indicates that CeCoIn 5 shows a muchmore » stronger band renormalization effect than CePt 2In 7. These results provide new information for understanding the heavy fermion behaviors and unconventional superconductivity in Ce-based heavy fermion systems.« less

Theory of scanning tunneling spectroscopy: from Kondo impurities to heavy fermion materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morr, Dirk K.

2017-01-01

Kondo systems ranging from the single Kondo impurity to heavy fermion materials present us with a plethora of unconventional properties whose theoretical understanding is still one of the major open problems in condensed matter physics. Over the last few years, groundbreaking scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) experiments have provided unprecedented new insight into the electronic structure of Kondo systems. Interpreting the results of these experiments—the differential conductance and the quasi-particle interference spectrum—however, has been complicated by the fact that electrons tunneling from the STS tip into the system can tunnel either into the heavy magnetic moment or the light conduction band states. In this article, we briefly review the theoretical progress made in understanding how quantum interference between these two tunneling paths affects the experimental STS results. We show how this theoretical insight has allowed us to interpret the results of STS experiments on a series of heavy fermion materials providing detailed knowledge of their complex electronic structure. It is this knowledge that is a conditio sine qua non for developing a deeper understanding of the fascinating properties exhibited by heavy fermion materials, ranging from unconventional superconductivity to non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the vicinity of quantum critical points.

Fine tuning the heavy fermion ground state: A new handle on cerium cobalt indium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, Long D.

A Two Fluid Description of the Kondo Lattice CeCoIn5 has been extended to include additional entropy terms that were not considered in the original work by S. Nakatsuji et al. [1]. The use of a Matlab computer code was successful at iteratively solving for f, the fraction of itinerant interacting heavy quasiparticles, and showed that it converges to a temperature dependent function invariant under successive iterations. The linear specific heat coefficient, gamma, was extracted from transport consideration in conjunction with f(T) and the Kadowacki-Woods ratio to be 204mJ/mole-K2, in good agreement from heat capacity measurements of 290mJ/mole-K2 for CeCoIn 5 [32]. Antiferromagnetism has been induced in CeCoIn5 as well as its two isostructural, isovalent sister compounds CeRhIn5 and CeIrIn 5. Cadmium-doping the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 at the percent level acts as an electronic tuning agent, sensitively shifting the balance between superconductivity and antiferromagnetism and opening new ambient-pressure phase space in the study of heavy-fermion ground states. At nominal concentrations of x>0.070, CeCo(In1-xCd x)5 displays a two phase region of antiferromagnetism coexisting with superconductivity up to x<0.15, above which no trace of superconductivity persists in specific heat. Similar results was seen in CeIr(In1-xCd x)5 where a quantum critical point (QCP) was observed, separating superconductivity from antiferromagnetism at a nominal critical concentration of x≈0.0475, while CeRh(In1-xCdx)5 goes through an incommensurate to commensurate antiferromagnetic transition nominally at x≈0.10. Amazingly, pressure completely recovers Tc in CeCo(In1-x Cdx)5 measured at nominal concentrations of x=0.10, and 0.15. Phase diagrams were constructed from specific heat and confirmed with resistivity and magnetization. An introduction to strongly correlated physics, relevant to the 115 family, will be worked out followed by a description of general techniques of

Correlation between ground state and orbital anisotropy in heavy fermion materials

DOE PAGES

Willers, Thomas; Strigari, Fabio; Hu, Zhiwei; ...

2015-02-09

The interplay of structural, orbital, charge, and spin degrees of freedom is at the heart of many emergent phenomena, including superconductivity. We find that unraveling the underlying forces of such novel phases is a great challenge because it not only requires understanding each of these degrees of freedom, it also involves accounting for the interplay between them. Cerium-based heavy fermion compounds are an ideal playground for investigating these interdependencies, and we present evidence for a correlation between orbital anisotropy and the ground states in a representative family of materials. We have measured the 4f crystal-electric field ground-state wave functions ofmore » the strongly correlated materials CeRh 1₋xIr xIn 5 with great accuracy using linear polarization-dependent soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy. These measurements show that these wave functions correlate with the ground-state properties of the substitution series, which covers long-range antiferromagnetic order, unconventional superconductivity, and coexistence of these two states.« less

Direct evidence for a magnetic f-electron–mediated pairing mechanism of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeCoIn5

PubMed Central

Van Dyke, John S.; Massee, Freek; Allan, Milan P.; Davis, J. C. Séamus; Petrovic, Cedomir; Morr, Dirk K.

2014-01-01

To identify the microscopic mechanism of heavy-fermion Cooper pairing is an unresolved challenge in quantum matter studies; it may also relate closely to finding the pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Magnetically mediated Cooper pairing has long been the conjectured basis of heavy-fermion superconductivity but no direct verification of this hypothesis was achievable. Here, we use a novel approach based on precision measurements of the heavy-fermion band structure using quasiparticle interference imaging to reveal quantitatively the momentum space (k-space) structure of the f-electron magnetic interactions of CeCoIn5. Then, by solving the superconducting gap equations on the two heavy-fermion bands Ekα,β with these magnetic interactions as mediators of the Cooper pairing, we derive a series of quantitative predictions about the superconductive state. The agreement found between these diverse predictions and the measured characteristics of superconducting CeCoIn5 then provides direct evidence that the heavy-fermion Cooper pairing is indeed mediated by f-electron magnetism. PMID:25062692

Strongly-correlated crystal-field approach to heavy-fermion compounds and to 3d oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radwanski, Ryszard; Ropka, Zofia

2005-03-01

The description of electronic and magnetic properties of real compounds like LaMnO3, LaCoO3, Na2V3O7, FeO, NdAl2 and ErNi5 as well as heavy-fermion superconductor UPd2Al3 and heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2, both zero-temperature ground state properties and thermodynamics, will be presented pointing out the existence of a discrete atomic-like low-energy, in the meV scale, electronic structure. This low-energy many-electron discrete atomic-like electronic structure is governed by very strong electron correlations, predominantly on-site, by the intra-atomic spin-orbit coupling and by details of the local surrounding (crystal-field interactions), but later is modified by inter-site interactions. Our studies indicate that there is the highest time to ``unquench'' the orbital moment in solid state physics in description of 3d-/4f-/5f-atom containing compounds and that heavy-fermion phenomena are of the relativistic origin.

Mechanism of a strange metal state near a heavy-fermion quantum critical point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yung-Yeh; Paschen, Silke; Chung, Chung-Hou

2018-01-01

Unconventional metallic or strange metal (SM) behavior with non-Fermi liquid (NFL) properties, generic features of heavy-fermion systems near quantum phase transitions, are yet to be understood microscopically. A paradigmatic example is the magnetic field-tuned quantum critical heavy-fermion metal YbRh2Si2 , revealing a possible SM state over a finite range of fields at low temperatures when substituted with Ge. Above a critical field, the SM state gives way to a heavy Fermi liquid with Kondo correlation. The NFL behavior, most notably a linear-in-temperature electrical resistivity and a logarithmic-in-temperature followed by a power-law singularity in the specific heat coefficient at low temperatures, still lacks a definite understanding. We propose the following mechanism as origin of the experimentally observed behavior: a quasi-2 d fluctuating short-ranged resonating-valence-bond spin liquid competing with the Kondo correlation. Applying a field-theoretical renormalization group analysis on an effective field theory beyond a large-N approach to an antiferromagnetic Kondo-Heisenberg model, we identify the critical point and explain remarkably well the SM behavior. Our theory goes beyond the well-established framework of quantum phase transitions and serves as a basis to address open issues in quantum critical heavy-fermion systems.

Destruction of the Kondo effect in the cubic heavy-fermion compound Ce3Pd20Si6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Custers, J.; Lorenzer, K.-A.; Müller, M.; Prokofiev, A.; Sidorenko, A.; Winkler, H.; Strydom, A. M.; Shimura, Y.; Sakakibara, T.; Yu, R.; Si, Q.; Paschen, S.

2012-03-01

How ground states of quantum matter transform between one another reveals deep insights into the mechanisms stabilizing them. Correspondingly, quantum phase transitions are explored in numerous materials classes, with heavy-fermion compounds being among the most prominent ones. Recent studies in an anisotropic heavy-fermion compound have shown that different types of transitions are induced by variations of chemical or external pressure, raising the question of the extent to which heavy-fermion quantum criticality is universal. To make progress, it is essential to broaden both the materials basis and the microscopic parameter variety. Here, we identify a cubic heavy-fermion material as exhibiting a field-induced quantum phase transition, and show how the material can be used to explore one extreme of the dimensionality axis. The transition between two different ordered phases is accompanied by an abrupt change of Fermi surface, reminiscent of what happens across the field-induced antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition in the anisotropic YbRh2Si2. This finding leads to a materials-based global phase diagram—a precondition for a unified theoretical description.

Near-field spectroscopic investigation of dual-band heavy fermion metamaterials.

PubMed

Gilbert Corder, Stephanie N; Chen, Xinzhong; Zhang, Shaoqing; Hu, Fengrui; Zhang, Jiawei; Luan, Yilong; Logan, Jack A; Ciavatti, Thomas; Bechtel, Hans A; Martin, Michael C; Aronson, Meigan; Suzuki, Hiroyuki S; Kimura, Shin-Ichi; Iizuka, Takuya; Fei, Zhe; Imura, Keiichiro; Sato, Noriaki K; Tao, Tiger H; Liu, Mengkun

2017-12-22

Broadband tunability is a central theme in contemporary nanophotonics and metamaterials research. Combining metamaterials with phase change media offers a promising approach to achieve such tunability, which requires a comprehensive investigation of the electromagnetic responses of novel materials at subwavelength scales. In this work, we demonstrate an innovative way to tailor band-selective electromagnetic responses at the surface of a heavy fermion compound, samarium sulfide (SmS). By utilizing the intrinsic, pressure sensitive, and multi-band electron responses of SmS, we create a proof-of-principle heavy fermion metamaterial, which is fabricated and characterized using scanning near-field microscopes with <50 nm spatial resolution. The optical responses at the infrared and visible frequency ranges can be selectively and separately tuned via modifying the occupation of the 4f and 5d band electrons. The unique pressure, doping, and temperature tunability demonstrated represents a paradigm shift for nanoscale metamaterial and metasurface design.

Local Criticality and non-Fermi Liquid Behavior in Heavy Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Si, Qimiao

2002-03-01

Quantum criticality provides a means to understand the apparent non-Fermi liquid phenomena in strongly correlated metals. Heavy fermion metals have emerged as a prototype system; many of them explicitly display a magnetic QCP. Experiments have shown that the quantum critical behavior is much richer than expected. One surprise came from neutron scattering, which found that the spin dynamics is anomalous not only near the antiferromagnetic wavevectors but also essentially everywhere in the Brillouin zone. In this talk, I will review the experiments and describe our theoretical work on the subject [1,2,3]. The notion of "local criticality" will be introduced and will be argued to apply to the heavy fermions. Some broader implications of the results will also be discussed. [1] Q. Si, S. Rabello, K. Ingersent, and J. L. Smith, Nature 413, 804 (2001). [2] Q. Si, J. L. Smith and K. Ingersent, Int. Journ. Mod. Phys. B13, 2331 (1999). [3] J. L. Smith and Q. Si, Phys. Rev. B61, 5184 (2000).

Near-field spectroscopic investigation of dual-band heavy fermion metamaterials

DOE PAGES

Gilbert Corder, Stephanie N.; Chen, Xinzhong; Zhang, Shaoqing; ...

2017-12-22

Broadband tunability is a central theme in contemporary nanophotonics and metamaterials research. Combining metamaterials with phase change media offers a promising approach to achieve such tunability, which requires a comprehensive investigation of the electromagnetic responses of novel materials at subwavelength scales. In this work, we demonstrate an innovative way to tailor band-selective electromagnetic responses at the surface of a heavy fermion compound, samarium sulfide (SmS). By utilizing the intrinsic, pressure sensitive, and multi-band electron responses of SmS, we create a proof-of-principle heavy fermion metamaterial, which is fabricated and characterized using scanning near-field microscopes with < 50 nm spatial resolution. Themore » optical responses at the infrared and visible frequency ranges can be selectively and separately tuned via modifying the occupation of the 4f and 5d band electrons. The unique pressure, doping, and temperature tunability demonstrated represents a paradigm shift for nanoscale metamaterial and metasurface design.« less

Quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy (QPS) of Kondo lattice heavy fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, L. H.; Narasiwodeyar, S. M.; Banerjee, P.; Park, W. K.; Bauer, E. D.; Tobash, P. H.; Baumbach, R. E.; Ronning, F.; Sarrao, J. L.; Thompson, J. D.

2013-03-01

Point-contact spectroscopy (PCS) is a powerful technique to study electronic properties via measurements of non-linear current-voltage characteristic across a ballistic junction. It has been frequently adopted to investigate novel and/or unconventional superconductors by detecting the energy-dependent Andreev scattering. PCS of non-superconducting materials has been much rarely reported. From our recent studies on heavy fermions, we have frequently observed strongly bias-dependent and asymmetric conductance behaviors. Based on a Fano resonance model in a Kondo lattice, we attribute them to energy-dependent quasiparticle scattering off hybridized renormalized electronic states, dubbing it QPS. We will present our QPS results on several heavy-fermion systems and discuss QPS as a novel technique to probe the bulk spectroscopic properties of the electronic structure. For instance, it reveals that the hybridization gap in URu2Si2 opens well above the hidden order transition. The work at UIUC is supported by the U.S. DOE under Award No. DE-FG02-07ER46453 and the NSF DMR 12-06766, and the work at LANL is carried out under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, Office of Science.

Quantum oscillations in the heavy-fermion compound YbPtBi

DOE PAGES

Mun, E.; Bud'ko, S. L.; Lee, Y.; ...

2015-08-01

We present quantum oscillations observed in the heavy-fermion compound YbPtBi in magnetic fields far beyond its field-tuned, quantum critical point. Quantum oscillations are observed in magnetic fields as low as 60 kOe at 60 mK and up to temperatures as high as 3 K, which confirms the very high quality of the samples as well as the small effective mass of the conduction carriers far from the quantum critical point. Although the electronic specific heat coefficient of YbPtBi reaches ~7.4 J/molK 2 in zero field, which is one of the highest effective mass values among heavy-fermion systems, we suppress itmore » quickly by an applied magnetic field. The quantum oscillations were used to extract the quasiparticle effective masses of the order of the bare electron mass, which is consistent with the behavior observed in specific heat measurements. Furthermore, such small effective masses at high fields can be understood by considering the suppression of Kondo screening.« less

Heavy fermion behavior in the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo 2Ga 8

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Le; Fu, Zhaoming; Sun, Jianping

Dimensionality plays an essential role in determining the anomalous non-Fermi liquid properties in heavy fermion systems. So far most heavy fermion compounds are quasi-two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Here we report the synthesis and systematic investigations of the single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo 2Ga 8. Resistivity measurements at ambient pressure reveal the onset of coherence at T * ≈ 20 K and non-Fermi liquid behavior with linear temperature dependence over a decade in temperature from 2 to 0.1 K. The specific heat increases logarithmically with lowering temperature between 10 and 2 K and reaches 800 mJ/mol K 2 atmore » 1 K, suggesting that CeCo 2Ga 8 is a heavy fermion compound in the close vicinity of a quantum critical point. Resistivity measurements under pressure further confirm the non-Fermi liquid behavior in a large temperature–pressure range. The magnetic susceptibility is found to follow the typical behavior for a one-dimensional spin chain from 300 K down to T *, and first-principles calculations predict flat Fermi surfaces for the itinerant f-electron bands. These suggest that CeCo 2Ga 8 is a rare example of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice, but its non-Fermi liquid behaviors resemble those of the quasi-two-dimensional YbRh 2Si 2 family. The study of the quasi-one-dimensional CeCo 2Ga 8 family may therefore help us to understand the role of dimensionality on heavy fermion physics and quantum criticality.« less

Heavy fermion behavior in the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo2Ga8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Le; Fu, Zhaoming; Sun, Jianping; Liu, Min; Yi, Wei; Yi, Changjiang; Luo, Yongkang; Dai, Yaomin; Liu, Guangtong; Matsushita, Yoshitaka; Yamaura, Kazunari; Lu, Li; Cheng, Jin-Guang; Yang, Yi-feng; Shi, Youguo; Luo, Jianlin

2017-07-01

Dimensionality plays an essential role in determining the anomalous non-Fermi liquid properties in heavy fermion systems. So far most heavy fermion compounds are quasi-two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Here we report the synthesis and systematic investigations of the single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo2Ga8. Resistivity measurements at ambient pressure reveal the onset of coherence at T * ≈ 20 K and non-Fermi liquid behavior with linear temperature dependence over a decade in temperature from 2 to 0.1 K. The specific heat increases logarithmically with lowering temperature between 10 and 2 K and reaches 800 mJ/mol K2 at 1 K, suggesting that CeCo2Ga8 is a heavy fermion compound in the close vicinity of a quantum critical point. Resistivity measurements under pressure further confirm the non-Fermi liquid behavior in a large temperature-pressure range. The magnetic susceptibility is found to follow the typical behavior for a one-dimensional spin chain from 300 K down to T *, and first-principles calculations predict flat Fermi surfaces for the itinerant f-electron bands. These suggest that CeCo2Ga8 is a rare example of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice, but its non-Fermi liquid behaviors resemble those of the quasi-two-dimensional YbRh2Si2 family. The study of the quasi-one-dimensional CeCo2Ga8 family may therefore help us to understand the role of dimensionality on heavy fermion physics and quantum criticality.

Heavy fermion behavior in the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo 2Ga 8

DOE PAGES

Wang, Le; Fu, Zhaoming; Sun, Jianping; ...

2017-07-04

Dimensionality plays an essential role in determining the anomalous non-Fermi liquid properties in heavy fermion systems. So far most heavy fermion compounds are quasi-two-dimensional or three-dimensional. Here we report the synthesis and systematic investigations of the single crystals of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice CeCo 2Ga 8. Resistivity measurements at ambient pressure reveal the onset of coherence at T * ≈ 20 K and non-Fermi liquid behavior with linear temperature dependence over a decade in temperature from 2 to 0.1 K. The specific heat increases logarithmically with lowering temperature between 10 and 2 K and reaches 800 mJ/mol K 2 atmore » 1 K, suggesting that CeCo 2Ga 8 is a heavy fermion compound in the close vicinity of a quantum critical point. Resistivity measurements under pressure further confirm the non-Fermi liquid behavior in a large temperature–pressure range. The magnetic susceptibility is found to follow the typical behavior for a one-dimensional spin chain from 300 K down to T *, and first-principles calculations predict flat Fermi surfaces for the itinerant f-electron bands. These suggest that CeCo 2Ga 8 is a rare example of the quasi-one-dimensional Kondo lattice, but its non-Fermi liquid behaviors resemble those of the quasi-two-dimensional YbRh 2Si 2 family. The study of the quasi-one-dimensional CeCo 2Ga 8 family may therefore help us to understand the role of dimensionality on heavy fermion physics and quantum criticality.« less

Emergent magnetic anisotropy in the cubic heavy-fermion metal CeIn3

DOE PAGES

Moll, Philip J. W.; Helm, Toni; Zhang, Shang-Shun; ...

2017-08-21

Metals containing cerium exhibit a diverse range of fascinating phenomena including heavy fermion behavior, quantum criticality, and novel states of matter such as unconventional superconductivity. The cubic system CeIn3 has attracted significant attention as a structurally isotropic Kondo lattice material possessing the minimum required complexity to still reveal this rich physics. By using magnetic fields with strengths comparable to the crystal field energy scale, we illustrate a strong field-induced anisotropy as a consequence of non-spherically symmetric spin interactions in the prototypical heavy fermion material CeIn3. We demonstrate the importance of magnetic anisotropy in modeling f-electron materials when the orbital charactermore » of the 4f wavefunction changes (e.g., with pressure or composition). Additionally, magnetic fields are shown to tune the effective hybridization and exchange interactions potentially leading to new exotic field tuned effects in f-based materials.« less

Emergent magnetic anisotropy in the cubic heavy-fermion metal CeIn3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moll, Philip J. W.; Helm, Toni; Zhang, Shang-Shun

Metals containing cerium exhibit a diverse range of fascinating phenomena including heavy fermion behavior, quantum criticality, and novel states of matter such as unconventional superconductivity. The cubic system CeIn3 has attracted significant attention as a structurally isotropic Kondo lattice material possessing the minimum required complexity to still reveal this rich physics. By using magnetic fields with strengths comparable to the crystal field energy scale, we illustrate a strong field-induced anisotropy as a consequence of non-spherically symmetric spin interactions in the prototypical heavy fermion material CeIn3. We demonstrate the importance of magnetic anisotropy in modeling f-electron materials when the orbital charactermore » of the 4f wavefunction changes (e.g., with pressure or composition). Additionally, magnetic fields are shown to tune the effective hybridization and exchange interactions potentially leading to new exotic field tuned effects in f-based materials.« less

Chiral heavy fermions in a two Higgs doublet model: 750 GeV resonance or not

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bar-Shalom, Shaouly; Soni, Amarjit

2017-03-01

We revisit models where a heavy chiral 4th generation doublet of fermions is embedded in a class of two Higgs doublets models (2HDM) with a discrete Z2 symmetry, which couples the ;heavy; scalar doublet only to the 4th generation fermions and the ;light; one to the Standard Model (SM) fermions - the so-called 4G2HDM introduced by us several years ago. We study the constraints imposed on the 4G2HDM from direct searches of heavy fermions, from precision electroweak data (PEWD) and from the measured production and decay signals of the 125 GeV scalar, which in the 4G2HDM corresponds to the lightest CP-even scalar h. We then show that the recently reported excess in the γγ spectrum around 750 GeV can be accommodated by the heavy CP-even scalar of the 4G2HDM, H, resulting in a unique choice of parameter space: negligible mixing (sin ⁡ α ≲ O (10-3)) between the two CP-even scalars h , H and heavy 4th generation quark and lepton masses mt‧ ,mb‧ ≲ 400 GeV and mν‧ ,mτ‧ ≳ 900 GeV, respectively. Whether or not the 750 GeV γγ resonance is confirmed, interesting phenomenology emerges in q‧ - Higgs systems (q‧ =t‧ ,b‧), that can be searched for at the LHC. For example, the heavy scalar states of the model, S = H , A ,H+, may have BR (S →qbar‧q‧) ∼ O (1), giving rise to observable qbar‧q‧ signals on resonance, followed by the flavor changing q‧ decays t‧ → uh (u = u , c) and/or b‧ → dh (d = d , s , b). This leads to rather distinct signatures, with or without charged leptons, of the form qbar‧q‧ →(nj + mb + ℓW) S (j and b being light and b-quark jets, respectively), with n + m + ℓ = 6- 8 and unique kinematic features. These high jet-multiplicity signals appear to be very challenging and may need new search strategies for detection of such heavy chiral quarks. It is also shown that the flavor structure of the 4G2HDM can easily accommodate the interesting recent indications of a percent-level branching ratio in the

NMR study of heavy fermion compound EuNi2P2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magishi, K.; Watanabe, R.; Hisada, A.; Saito, T.; Koyama, K.; Fujiwara, T.

2015-03-01

We report the results of 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements on heavy fermion compound EuNi2P2 in order to investigate the magnetic properties at low temperatures from a microscopic view point. The Knight shift has a negative value in an entire temperature range, and the absolute value increases with decreasing temperature but exhibits a broad maximum around 40 K, which is similar to the behavior of the magnetic susceptibility. Also, the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 is almost constant at high temperatures above 200 K, which is reminiscent of the relaxation mechanism dominated by the interaction of the 31P nucleus with fluctuating Eu-4f moments. Below 200 K, 1/T1 gradually decreases on cooling due to the change of the valence in the Eu ion. At low temperatures, 1/T1 does not obey the Korringa relation, in contrast to typical heavy fermion compounds. The nuclear spin-spin relaxation rate 1/T2 shows the similar behavior as 1/T1 at high temperatures. But, below 50 K, 1/T2 increases upon cooling due to the development of the magnetic excitation.

Kondo behavior and metamagnetic phase transition in the heavy-fermion compound CeBi2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, W.; Xu, C. Q.; Li, B.; Sankar, R.; Zhang, F. M.; Qian, B.; Cao, C.; Dai, J. H.; Lu, Jianming; Jiang, W. X.; Qian, Dong; Xu, Xiaofeng

2018-05-01

Heavy fermions represent an archetypal example of strongly correlated electron systems which, due to entanglement among different interactions, often exhibit exotic and fascinating physics involving Kondo screening, magnetism, and unconventional superconductivity. Here we report a comprehensive study on the transport and thermodynamic properties of a cerium-based heavy-fermion compound CeBi2 which undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at TN˜3.3 K . Its high-temperature paramagnetic state is characterized by an enhanced heat capacity with Sommerfeld coefficient γ over 200 mJ mol-1K-2 . The magnetization in the magnetically ordered state features a metamagnetic transition. Remarkably, a large negative magnetoresistance associated with the magnetism was observed in a wide temperature and field-angle range. Collectively, CeBi2 may serve as an intriguing system to study the interplay between the f electrons and the itinerant Fermi sea.

Routes to heavy-fermion superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steglich, F.; Stockert, O.; Wirth, S.; Geibel, C.; Yuan, H. Q.; Kirchner, S.; Si, Q.

2013-07-01

Superconductivity in lanthanide- and actinide-based heavy-fermion (HF) metals can have different microscopic origins. Among others, Cooper pair formation based on fluctuations of the valence, of the quadrupole moment or of the spin of the localized 4f/5f shell have been proposed. Spin-fluctuation mediated superconductivity in CeCu2Si2 was demonstrated by inelastic neutron scattering to exist in the vicinity of a spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum critical point (QCP). The isostructural HF compound YbRh2Si2 which is prototypical for a Kondo-breakdown QCP has so far not shown any sign of superconductivity down to T ≈ 10 mK. In contrast, results of de-Haas-van-Alphen experiments by Shishido et al. (J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74, 1103 (2005)) suggest superconductivity in CeRhIn5 close to an antiferromagnetic QCP beyond the SDW type, at which the Kondo effect breaks down. For the related compound CeCoIn5 however, a field-induced QCP of SDW type is extrapolated to exist inside the superconducting phase.

Chiral heavy fermions in a two Higgs doublet model: 750 GeV resonance or not

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bar-Shalom, Shaouly; Soni, Amarjit

For this article, we revisit models where a heavy chiral 4th generation doublet of fermions is embedded in a class of two Higgs doublets models (2HDM) with a discrete Z 2 symmetry, which couples the “heavy” scalar doublet only to the 4th generation fermions and the “light” one to the Standard Model (SM) fermions – the so-called 4G2HDM introduced by us several years ago. We study the constraints imposed on the 4G2HDM from direct searches of heavy fermions, from precision electroweak data (PEWD) and from the measured production and decay signals of the 125 GeV scalar, which in the 4G2HDM corresponds to the lightest CP-even scalar h. We then show that the recently reported excess in the γγspectrum around 750 GeV can be accommodated by the heavy CP-even scalar of the 4G2HDM, H, resulting in a unique choice of parameter space: negligible mixing (sin α ≲ O (10 -3)) between the two CP-even scalars h, Hand heavy 4th generation quark and lepton masses m t ',m b' ≲ 400 GeV and m ν', m τ' ≳ 900 GeV, respectively. Whether or not the 750 GeV γγ resonance is confirmed, interesting phenomenology emerges in q' – Higgs systems (q' = t', b'), that can be searched for at the LHC. For example, the heavy scalar states of the model, S=H, A, H +, may have BR(S→more » $$-\\atop{q'}$$q') ~ O(1), giving rise to observable $$-\\atop{q'}$$q' signals on resonance, followed by the flavor changing q' decays t'→uh (u =u, c) and/or b'→dh (d =d, s, b). This leads to rather distinct signatures, with or without charged leptons, of the form $$-\\atop{q'}$$q'→(nj +mb +ℓW) S (j and b being light and b-quark jets, respectively), with n +m +ℓ =6–8 and unique kinematic features. These high jet-multiplicity signals appear to be very challenging and may need new search strategies for detection of such heavy chiral quarks. It is also shown that the flavor structure of the 4G2HDM can easily accommodate the interesting recent indications of a percent-level branching

Chiral heavy fermions in a two Higgs doublet model: 750 GeV resonance or not

DOE PAGES

Bar-Shalom, Shaouly; Soni, Amarjit

2017-03-10

For this article, we revisit models where a heavy chiral 4th generation doublet of fermions is embedded in a class of two Higgs doublets models (2HDM) with a discrete Z 2 symmetry, which couples the “heavy” scalar doublet only to the 4th generation fermions and the “light” one to the Standard Model (SM) fermions – the so-called 4G2HDM introduced by us several years ago. We study the constraints imposed on the 4G2HDM from direct searches of heavy fermions, from precision electroweak data (PEWD) and from the measured production and decay signals of the 125 GeV scalar, which in the 4G2HDM corresponds to the lightest CP-even scalar h. We then show that the recently reported excess in the γγspectrum around 750 GeV can be accommodated by the heavy CP-even scalar of the 4G2HDM, H, resulting in a unique choice of parameter space: negligible mixing (sin α ≲ O (10 -3)) between the two CP-even scalars h, Hand heavy 4th generation quark and lepton masses m t ',m b' ≲ 400 GeV and m ν', m τ' ≳ 900 GeV, respectively. Whether or not the 750 GeV γγ resonance is confirmed, interesting phenomenology emerges in q' – Higgs systems (q' = t', b'), that can be searched for at the LHC. For example, the heavy scalar states of the model, S=H, A, H +, may have BR(S→more » $$-\\atop{q'}$$q') ~ O(1), giving rise to observable $$-\\atop{q'}$$q' signals on resonance, followed by the flavor changing q' decays t'→uh (u =u, c) and/or b'→dh (d =d, s, b). This leads to rather distinct signatures, with or without charged leptons, of the form $$-\\atop{q'}$$q'→(nj +mb +ℓW) S (j and b being light and b-quark jets, respectively), with n +m +ℓ =6–8 and unique kinematic features. These high jet-multiplicity signals appear to be very challenging and may need new search strategies for detection of such heavy chiral quarks. It is also shown that the flavor structure of the 4G2HDM can easily accommodate the interesting recent indications of a percent-level branching

Novel Electronic States of Heavy Fermion Compound YbCo2Zn20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Fuminori; Taga, Yuki; Hirose, Yusuke; Yoshiuchi, Shingo; Tomooka, Yoshiharu; Ohya, Masahiro; Sakaguchi, Jyunya; Takeuchi, Tetsuya; Settai, Rikio; Shimura, Yasuyuki; Sakakibara, Toshiro; Sheikin, Ilya; Tanaka, Toshiki; Kubo, Yasunori; Ōnuki, Yoshichika

2014-04-01

We studied the heavy fermion compound YbCo2Zn20 with an electronic specific heat coefficient γ ≃ 8000 mJ/(K2·mol) by measuring the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) oscillation, Hall effect, magnetic susceptibility, and magnetization at ambient pressure, as well as the electrical resistivity in magnetic fields of up to 320 kOe and at pressures of up to 5 GPa. The detected Fermi surfaces are small in volume, reflecting the small Brillouin zone based on the large cubic lattice constant a = 14.005 Å. The cyclotron effective masses, which were determined from the dHvA experiment, are found to be markedly reduced in magnetic fields. In other words, the detected cyclotron masses of 2.2-8.9 m0 (m0: the rest mass of an electron) at Hav = 117 kOe are enhanced to 100-500 m0 at 0 kOe. By applying pressure, the heavy fermion state disappears at Pc ≃ 1.8 GPa and orders antiferromagnetically for P > Pc. The field-induced antiferroquadrupolar phase, which is observed only for Hallel < 111> in the magnetic field range from HQ = 60 kOe to H'Q = 210 kOe, is found to shift to lower magnetic fields and merge with theantiferromagnetic phase at 4.5 GPa.

Multi-pole orders and Kondo screening: Implications for quantum phase transitions in multipolar heavy-fermion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Hsin-Hua; Nica, Emilian; Si, Qimiao

Motivated by the properties of the heavy-fermion Ce3Pd20Si6 compound which exhibits both antiferro-magnetic (AFM) and antiferro-quadrupolar (AFQ) orders, we study a simplified quantum non-linear sigma model for spin-1 systems, with generalized multi-pole Kondo couplings to conduction electrons. We first consider the case when an SU(3) symmetry relates the spin and quadrupolar channels. We then analyze the effect of breaking the SU(3) symmetry, so that the interaction parameters in the spin and quadrupolar sectors are no longer equivalent, and different stages of Kondo screenings are allowed. A renormalization group analysis is used to analyze the interplay between the Kondo effect and the AFM/AFQ orders. Our work paves the way for understanding the global phase diagram in settings beyond the prototypical spin-1/2 cases. We also discuss similar considerations in the non-Kramers systems such as the heavy fermion compound PrV2Al20

Microscopic theoretical study of frequency dependent dielectric constant of heavy fermion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shadangi, Keshab Chandra; Rout, G. C.

2017-05-01

The dielectric polarization and the dielectric constant plays a vital role in the deciding the properties of the Heavy Fermion Systems. In the present communication we consider the periodic Anderson's Model which consists of conduction electron kinetic energy, localized f-electron kinetic energy and the hybridization between the conduction and localized electrons, besides the Coulomb correlation energy. We calculate dielectric polarization which involves two particle Green's functions which are calculated by using Zubarev's Green's function technique. Using the equations of motion of the fermion electron operators. Finally, the temperature and frequency dependent dielectric constant is calculated from the dielectric polarization function. The charge susceptibility and dielectric constant are computed numerically for different physical parameters like the position (Ef) of the f-electron level with respect to fermi level, the strength of the hybridization (V) between the conduction and localized f-electrons, Coulomb correlation potential temperature and optical phonon wave vector (q). The results will be discussed in a reference to the experimental observations of the dielectric constants.

Ferromagnetic quantum critical point in the heavy-fermion metal YbNi4(P(1-x)As(x))2.

PubMed

Steppke, Alexander; Küchler, Robert; Lausberg, Stefan; Lengyel, Edit; Steinke, Lucia; Borth, Robert; Lühmann, Thomas; Krellner, Cornelius; Nicklas, Michael; Geibel, Christoph; Steglich, Frank; Brando, Manuel

2013-02-22

Unconventional superconductivity and other previously unknown phases of matter exist in the vicinity of a quantum critical point (QCP): a continuous phase change of matter at absolute zero. Intensive theoretical and experimental investigations on itinerant systems have shown that metallic ferromagnets tend to develop via either a first-order phase transition or through the formation of intermediate superconducting or inhomogeneous magnetic phases. Here, through precision low-temperature measurements, we show that the Grüneisen ratio of the heavy fermion metallic ferromagnet YbNi(4)(P(0.92)As(0.08))(2) diverges upon cooling to T = 0, indicating a ferromagnetic QCP. Our observation that this kind of instability, which is forbidden in d-electron metals, occurs in a heavy fermion system will have a large impact on the studies of quantum critical materials.

Extended nuclear quadrupole resonance study of the heavy-fermion superconductor PuCoGa5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutroulakis, G.; Yasuoka, H.; Tobash, P. H.; Mitchell, J. N.; Bauer, E. D.; Thompson, J. D.

2016-10-01

PuCoGa5 has emerged as a prototypical heavy-fermion superconductor, with its transition temperature (Tc≃18.5 K) being the highest amongst such materials. Nonetheless, a clear description as to what drives the superconducting pairing is still lacking, rendered complicated by the notoriously intricate nature of plutonium's 5 f valence electrons. Here, we present a detailed Ga,7169 nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) study of PuCoGa5, concentrating on the system's normal state properties near to Tc and aiming to detect distinct signatures of possible pairing mechanisms. In particular, the quadrupole frequency and spin-lattice relaxation rate were measured for the two crystallographically inequivalent Ga sites and for both Ga isotopes, in the temperature range 1.6-300 K. No evidence of significant charge fluctuations is found from the NQR observables. On the contrary, the low-energy dynamics is dominated by anisotropic spin fluctuations with strong, nearly critical, in-plane character, which are effectively identical to the case of the sister compound PuCoIn5. These findings are discussed within the context of different theoretical proposals for the unconventional pairing mechanism in heavy-fermion superconductors.

Magnetic properties of nearly stoichiometric CeAuBi2 heavy fermion compound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adriano, C.; Rosa, P. F. S.; Jesus, C. B. R.; Grant, T.; Fisk, Z.; Garcia, D. J.; Pagliuso, P. G.

2015-05-01

Motivated by the interesting magnetic anisotropy found in the heavy fermion family CeTX2 (T = transition metal and X = pnictogen), here, we study the novel parent compound CeAu1-xBi2-y by combining magnetization, pressure dependent electrical resistivity, and heat-capacity measurements. The magnetic properties of our nearly stoichiometric single crystal sample of CeAu1-xBi2-y (x = 0.92 and y = 1.6) revealed an antiferromagnetic ordering at TN = 12 K with an easy axis along the c-direction. The field dependent magnetization data at low temperatures reveal the existence of a spin-flop transition when the field is applied along the c-axis (Hc ˜ 7.5 T and T = 5 K). The heat capacity and pressure dependent resistivity data suggest that CeAu0.92Bi1.6 exhibits a weak heavy fermion behavior with strongly localized Ce3+ 4f electrons. Furthermore, the systematic analysis using a mean field model including anisotropic nearest-neighbors interactions and the tetragonal crystalline electric field (CEF) Hamiltonian allows us to extract a CEF scheme and two different values for the anisotropic J RKKY exchange parameters between the Ce3+ ions in this compound. Thus, we discuss a scenario, considering both the anisotropic magnetic interactions and the tetragonal CEF effects, in the CeAu1-xBi2-y compounds, and we compare our results with the isostructural compound CeCuBi2.

Evidence for momentum-dependent heavy-fermionic electronic structures: Soft x-ray ARPES for the superconductor CeNi2Ge2 in the normal state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakatani, Y.; Aratani, H.; Fujiwara, H.; Mori, T.; Tsuruta, A.; Tachibana, S.; Yamaguchi, T.; Kiss, T.; Yamasaki, A.; Yasui, A.; Yamagami, H.; Miyawaki, J.; Ebihara, T.; Saitoh, Y.; Sekiyama, A.

2018-03-01

We present clear experimental evidence for the momentum-dependent heavy fermionic electronic structures of the 4 f -based strongly correlated system CeNi2Ge2 by soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. A comparison between the experimental three-dimensional quasiparticle dispersion of LaNi2Ge2 and CeNi2Ge2 has revealed that heavy fermionic electronic structures are seen in the region surrounding a specific momentum. Furthermore, the wave vectors between the observed "heavy spots" are consistent with a result of neutron scattering reflecting magnetic correlations, which could be a trigger for the superconductivity in CeNi2Ge2 .

Unified gauge theories with right-handed currents and heavy fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohapatra, R.N.

Gauge models with heavy fermions and right-handed currents are discussed based on the gauge groups SU(2)/subA/ x U(1) x SU(4) ', SU(2)/subA/ x SU(2)/subB/ x SU(4) ', and SU(4) x SU(4) ' and are constructed so as to lead to the $delta$I = 1/2 rule. SU(4) x SU(4) ' is advocated as the ultimate unifying gauge group of nature, and it is shown how at various stages of spontaneous breakdown both the SU(2)/subA/ x SU(2)/subB/ x SU(4) ' and SU(2)/subA/ x U(1) x SU(4) ' groups manifest themselves. It is also shown that CP violation takes an interesting complexion inmore » these models and leads to exactly the relations eta/sub +//sub -/ approx. = eta$sub 00$ in K/subL/ $Yields$ 2$pi$ decays. Furthermore, it is shown that the magnitude of CP violation is related to gauge interactions that violate the heavy quark degeneracy. (AIP)« less

Extended nuclear quadrupole resonance study of the heavy-fermion superconductor PuCoGa 5

DOE PAGES

Koutroulakis, Georgios; Yasuoka, Hiroshi; Tobash, Paul H.; ...

2016-10-10

PuCoGa 5 has emerged as a prototypical heavy-fermion superconductor, with its transition temperature (T c ≃ 18.5 K) being the highest amongst such materials. Nonetheless, a clear description as to what drives the superconducting pairing is still lacking, rendered complicated by the notoriously intricate nature of plutonium's 5f valence electrons. Here, we present a detailed 69,71Ga nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) study of PuCoGa 5, concentrating on the system's normal state properties near to T c and aiming to detect distinct signatures of possible pairing mechanisms. In particular, the quadrupole frequency and spin-lattice relaxation rate were measured for the two crystallographicallymore » inequivalent Ga sites and for both Ga isotopes, in the temperature range 1.6–300 K. No evidence of significant charge fluctuations is found from the NQR observables. On the contrary, the low-energy dynamics is dominated by anisotropic spin fluctuations with strong, nearly critical, in-plane character, which are effectively identical to the case of the sister compound PuCoIn 5. Lastly, these findings are discussed within the context of different theoretical proposals for the unconventional pairing mechanism in heavy-fermion superconductors.« less

Electronic Griffiths phase and quantum interference in disordered heavy-fermion systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnida, Daniel

2018-02-01

We investigated the specific heat and electrical resistivity of disordered heavy-fermion systems Ce2Co0.8Si3.2 and Ce2Co0.4Rh0.4Si3.2 . Results show that pronounced non-Fermi-liquid behavior in these Kondo disordered compounds originates from approaching metal-insulator transition rather than from proximity to magnetic instability. Power-law divergence of the local Kondo temperature distribution, P (TK) , in the limit of TK→0 , and clear signature of the quantum interference corrections in the resistivity detected deep below the onset of Kondo coherent state, point to electronic Griffiths phase formation in the studied compounds.

Resonant photoemission studies of the heavy-fermion superconductors CeCu/sub 2/Si/sub 2/, UBe/sub 13/, and UPt/sub 3/

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parks, R.D.; denBoer, M.L.; Raaen, S.

1984-08-01

Valence-band photoemission studies, using synchrotron light and employing Fano resonances to enhance f-derived features, were made of the three known heavy-fermion superconductors: CeCu/sub 2/Si/sub 2/, UBe/sub 13/, and UPt/sub 3/. The results for CeCu/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ and UBe/sub 13/ contrast markedly with those reported earlier, reflecting closer control of surface contamination in the present study. We infer from the present study and other considerations that in all three systems there is sig- nificant hybridization between the f electrons and the nearest-neighbor ligands, which may be essential to the phenomenon of heavy-fermion superconductivity.

Ferromagnetism and Crystalline Electric Field Effects in Cubic UX2Zn20 (X=Co, Rh, Ir)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, E. D.; Ronning, F.; Silhanek, A.; Harrison, N.; Thompson, J. D.; Sarrao, J. L.; Movshovich, R.; Hundley, M. F.; Jaime, M.; Daniel, E.; Booth, C. H.

2006-03-01

The properties of a new class of cubic UX2Zn20 (X=Co, Rh, Ir) heavy fermion compounds have been investigated by means of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, electrical resistivity, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Both UCo2Zn20 and URh2Zn20 show peaks in C(T) and χ(T) at ˜5-10 K suggesting the presence of crystalline electric field (CEF) effects in these materials, i.e., a localized 5f^2 configuration of uranium. In addition, measurements in high magnetic fields up to 40 T are consistent with a CEF model of a nonmagnetic ground state and a magnetic first excited state separated by ˜ 20 K. In contrast, UIr2Zn20 exhibits a first-order ferromagnetic transition at Tc=2.75 K with a saturation moment μsat=0.5 μB in the ferromagnetic state. All compounds in this series are heavy fermion materials with enhanced electronic specific heat coefficients γ˜ 150-300 mJ/molK^2. The physical properties of UX2Zn20 (X=Co, Rh, Ir) will be discussed.

Phonon response of some heavy Fermion systems in dynamic limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, Jitendra; Shadangi, Namita; Nayak, Pratibindhya

2017-05-01

The phonon excitation spectrum of some Heavy Fermion (HF) systems in the presence of electron-phonon interaction is studied in the dynamic limit (ω≠0). The renormalized excitation phonon frequencies (ω˜ = ω/ω0) are evaluated through Periodic Anderson Model (PAM) in the presence of electron-phonon interaction using Zubarev-type double time temperature-dependent Green function. The calculated renormalized phonon energy is analyzed through the plots of (ω˜ = ω/ω0) against temperature for different system parameters like effective coupling strength ‘g’ and the position of f-level ‘d’. The observed behavior is analyzed and found to agree with the general features of HF systems found in experiments. Further, it is observed that in finite but small q-values the propagating phonons harden and change to localized peaks.

238U Mössbauer study on the magnetic properties of uranium-based heavy fermion superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsutsui, Satoshi; Nakada, Masami; Nasu, Saburo; Haga, Yoshinori; Honma, Tetsuo; Yamamoto, Etsuji; Ohkuni, Hitoshi; Ōnuki, Yoshichika

2000-07-01

We have performed 238U Mössbauer spectroscopy of uranium-based heavy fermion superconductors, UPd2Al3 and URu2Si2, in order to investigate their physical properties, mainly their magnetic properties. The slow relaxation of magnetic hyperfine interaction in a paramagnetic state and the static hyperfine field has been observed in an antiferromagnetic ordered state for each compound. The line-widths have maximum at their characteristic temperatures where their magnetic susceptibilities have maximum values.

Topological phase in a two-dimensional metallic heavy-fermion system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Tsuneya; Peters, Robert; Fujimoto, Satoshi; Kawakami, Norio

2013-04-01

We report on a topological insulating state in a heavy-fermion system away from half filling, which is hidden within a ferromagnetic metallic phase. In this phase, the cooperation of the RKKY interaction and the Kondo effect, together with the spin-orbit coupling, induces a spin-selective gap, bringing about topologically nontrivial properties. This topological phase is robust against a change in the chemical potential in a much wider range than the gap size. We analyze these remarkable properties by using dynamical mean field theory and the numerical renormalization group. Its topological properties support a gapless chiral edge mode, which exhibits a non-Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid behavior due to the coupling with bulk ferromagnetic spin fluctuations. We also propose that the effects of the spin fluctuations on the edge mode can be detected via the NMR relaxation time measurement.

Spatial interferences in the electron transport of heavy-fermion materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shu-feng; Liu, Yu; Song, Hai-Feng; Yang, Yi-feng

2016-08-01

The scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and the point contact spectroscopy represent major progress in recent heavy-fermion research. Both have revealed important information on the composite nature of the emergent heavy-electron quasiparticles. However, a detailed and thorough microscopic understanding of the similarities and differences in the underlying physical processes of these techniques is still lacking. Here we study the electron transport in the normal state of the periodic Anderson lattice by using the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's function technique. In addition to the well-known Fano interference between the conduction and f -electron channels, our results further reveal the effect of spatial interference between different spatial paths at the interface on the differential conductance and their interesting interplay with the band features such as the hybridization gap and the Van Hove singularity. We find that the spatial interference leads to a weighted average in the momentum space for the electron transport and could cause suppression of the electronic band features under certain circumstances. In particular, it reduces the capability of probing the f -electron spectral weight near the edges of the hybridization gap for large interface depending on the Fermi surface of the lead. Our results indicate an intrinsic inefficiency of the point contact spectroscopy in probing the f electrons.

Non-Fermi liquid and heavy fermion behavior in CexLa1-xB6 with quadrupolar moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Shintaro; Yamamoto, Harufumi; Endo, Motoki; Aoki, Haruyoshi; Kimura, Noriaki; Nojima, Tsutomu; Kunii, Satoru

2006-05-01

The electrical resistivity of the cubic Kondo system CexLa1-xB6 ( x=0.1-0.65) has been measured. Non-Fermi liquid behavior is found in paramagnetic phase I over the wide Ce concentration range. Heavy fermion behavior is found in ordered phases of Ce0.65La0.35B6. The mass enhancement of quasiparticles in this compound is strongly dependent of the magnetic field.

Resonant magnetic X-ray scattering studies of heavy fermion superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaulin, B. D.; Isaacs, E. D.; Lussier, J. G.; Reimers, J. N.; Gibbs, D.; Zschack, P.; Schröder, A.; Taillefer, L.; Garrett, J. D.

1994-04-01

The uranium-based heavy fermion superconductors which are known to display weak antiferromagnetism at low temperatures are well suited to study by the newly developed resonant magnetic X-ray scattering technique. We review recent synchrotron X-ray scattering studies of the magnetic behavior of UPd 2Al 3 and URu 2Si 2 and the interaction between magnetism and superconductivity in these materials. These measurements show resolution-limited magnetic Bragg peaks in UPd 2Al 3 in contrast to those in URu 2Si 2. The order parameter as measured at the (0 0 {1}/{2}) magnetic reciprocal lattice position in UPd 2Al 3 is different from that at (0, 0, {3}/{2}), the latter of which indicates a strong anomaly at TNI ∼ 11.8 K below the sharp onset of the antiferromagnetic phase at TN ∼ 14.5 K. Finally, the behavior of the (0 0 {1}/{2}) order parameter is smooth for T ≤ Tc = 2.00 ± 0.04 K.

Quasi-particle Interference of Heavy Fermions in Resonant X-ray Scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gyenis, Andras; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and elementmore » selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.« less

Quasi-particle interference of heavy fermions in resonant x-ray scattering

PubMed Central

Gyenis, András; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny; Schierle, Enrico; He, Feizhou; Weschke, Eugen; Kavai, Mariam; Baumbach, Ryan E.; Thompson, Joe D.; Bauer, Eric D.; Fisk, Zachary; Damascelli, Andrea; Yazdani, Ali; Aynajian, Pegor

2016-01-01

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and element selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique. PMID:27757422

Quasi-particle Interference of Heavy Fermions in Resonant X-ray Scattering

DOE PAGES

Gyenis, Andras; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H.; Sutarto, Ronny; ...

2016-10-14

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and elementmore » selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound CeMIn5 (M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce-M4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f-electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.« less

Quasi-particle interference of heavy fermions in resonant x-ray scattering.

PubMed

Gyenis, András; da Silva Neto, Eduardo H; Sutarto, Ronny; Schierle, Enrico; He, Feizhou; Weschke, Eugen; Kavai, Mariam; Baumbach, Ryan E; Thompson, Joe D; Bauer, Eric D; Fisk, Zachary; Damascelli, Andrea; Yazdani, Ali; Aynajian, Pegor

2016-10-01

Resonant x-ray scattering (RXS) has recently become an increasingly important tool for the study of ordering phenomena in correlated electron systems. Yet, the interpretation of RXS experiments remains theoretically challenging because of the complexity of the RXS cross section. Central to this debate is the recent proposal that impurity-induced Friedel oscillations, akin to quasi-particle interference signals observed with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), can lead to scattering peaks in RXS experiments. The possibility that quasi-particle properties can be probed in RXS measurements opens up a new avenue to study the bulk band structure of materials with the orbital and element selectivity provided by RXS. We test these ideas by combining RXS and STM measurements of the heavy fermion compound Ce M In 5 ( M = Co, Rh). Temperature- and doping-dependent RXS measurements at the Ce- M 4 edge show a broad scattering enhancement that correlates with the appearance of heavy f -electron bands in these compounds. The scattering enhancement is consistent with the measured quasi-particle interference signal in the STM measurements, indicating that the quasi-particle interference can be probed through the momentum distribution of RXS signals. Overall, our experiments demonstrate new opportunities for studies of correlated electronic systems using the RXS technique.

Unusual ground states in {R_5T_4X_{10}} (R  =  rare earth; T  =  Rh, Ir; and X  =  Si, Ge, Sn): a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramakrishnan, S.; van Smaalen, Sander

2017-11-01

Rare earth compounds of the type R_5T_4X10 (R  =  rare earth; T  =  Rh, Ir, and X  =  Si, Ge, Sn) display a variety of phase transitions towards exotic states, including charge density waves (CDW), local moment magnetism, antiferromagnetism in the heavy fermion state, superconductivity and giant positive magnetoresistance. They support strongly correlated electron systems. In particular, R 5Ir4 Si10 (R  =  Dy-Lu) exhibit strong coupling CDWs with high transition temperatures, and superconductivity or magnetic ordering at lower temperatures. R_5T4 Ge10 (R  =  Gd-Tm T  =  Co, Rh, Ir) show multiple magnetic transitions with large magnetoresistance below the magnetic transitions. Finally, the light rare earth series R_5T4 Sn10 (R  =  Ce, Pr, Nd; T  =  Rh, Ir) display heavy fermion behaviour (for Ce and Pr) or possess giant positive magnetoresistance (for Nd) at low temperatures. This review provides a comprehensive overview of compounds, crystal structures and phase transitions. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of the mechanisms of the phase transitions and the properties of the ordered states.

Antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the heavy-fermion superconductor Ce2PdIn8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, V. H.; Hillier, A. D.; Adroja, D. T.; Kaczorowski, D.

2012-09-01

Inelastic neutron scattering and muon spin relaxation/rotation (μSR) measurements were performed on the heavy-fermion superconductor Ce2PdIn8. The observed scaling of the imaginary part of the dynamical susceptibility χ''Tα∝f(ℏω/kBT) with α=3/2 revealed a non-Fermi liquid character of the normal state, being due to critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations near a T=0 quantum phase transition. The longitudinal-field μSR measurements indicated that superconductivity and antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations coexist in Ce2PdIn8 on a microscopic scale. The observed power-law temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth λ∝T3/2, deduced from the transverse-field μSR data, strongly confirms an unconventional superconductivity in this compound.

Robust upward dispersion of the neutron spin resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce1−xYbxCoIn5

PubMed Central

Song, Yu; Van Dyke, John; Lum, I. K.; White, B. D.; Jang, Sooyoung; Yazici, Duygu; Shu, L.; Schneidewind, A.; Čermák, Petr; Qiu, Y.; Maple, M. B.; Morr, Dirk K.; Dai, Pengcheng

2016-01-01

The neutron spin resonance is a collective magnetic excitation that appears in the unconventional copper oxide, iron pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors. Although the resonance is commonly associated with a spin-exciton due to the d(s±)-wave symmetry of the superconducting order parameter, it has also been proposed to be a magnon-like excitation appearing in the superconducting state. Here we use inelastic neutron scattering to demonstrate that the resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce1−xYbxCoIn5 with x=0, 0.05 and 0.3 has a ring-like upward dispersion that is robust against Yb-doping. By comparing our experimental data with a random phase approximation calculation using the electronic structure and the momentum dependence of the -wave superconducting gap determined from scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) for CeCoIn5, we conclude that the robust upward-dispersing resonance mode in Ce1−xYbxCoIn5 is inconsistent with the downward dispersion predicted within the spin-exciton scenario. PMID:27677397

Chiral fermions in asymptotically safe quantum gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meibohm, J.; Pawlowski, J. M.

2016-05-01

We study the consistency of dynamical fermionic matter with the asymptotic safety scenario of quantum gravity using the functional renormalisation group. Since this scenario suggests strongly coupled quantum gravity in the UV, one expects gravity-induced fermion self-interactions at energies of the Planck scale. These could lead to chiral symmetry breaking at very high energies and thus to large fermion masses in the IR. The present analysis which is based on the previous works (Christiansen et al., Phys Rev D 92:121501, 2015; Meibohm et al., Phys Rev D 93:084035, 2016), concludes that gravity-induced chiral symmetry breaking at the Planck scale is avoided for a general class of NJL-type models. We find strong evidence that this feature is independent of the number of fermion fields. This finding suggests that the phase diagram for these models is topologically stable under the influence of gravitational interactions.

Chiral fermions in asymptotically safe quantum gravity.

PubMed

Meibohm, J; Pawlowski, J M

2016-01-01

We study the consistency of dynamical fermionic matter with the asymptotic safety scenario of quantum gravity using the functional renormalisation group. Since this scenario suggests strongly coupled quantum gravity in the UV, one expects gravity-induced fermion self-interactions at energies of the Planck scale. These could lead to chiral symmetry breaking at very high energies and thus to large fermion masses in the IR. The present analysis which is based on the previous works (Christiansen et al., Phys Rev D 92:121501, 2015; Meibohm et al., Phys Rev D 93:084035, 2016), concludes that gravity-induced chiral symmetry breaking at the Planck scale is avoided for a general class of NJL-type models. We find strong evidence that this feature is independent of the number of fermion fields. This finding suggests that the phase diagram for these models is topologically stable under the influence of gravitational interactions.

Quasiparticle interference in the heavy-fermion superconductor CeCoIn5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbari, Alireza; Thalmeier, Peter; Eremin, Ilya

2011-10-01

We investigate the quasiparticle interference in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn5 as a direct method to confirm the d-wave gap symmetry. The ambiguity between dxy and dx2-y2 symmetry remaining from earlier specific heat and thermal transport investigations has been resolved in favor of the latter by the observation of a spin resonance that can occur only in dx2-y2 symmetry. However, these methods are all indirect and depend considerably on theoretical interpretation. Here we propose that quasiparticle interference (QPI) spectroscopy by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) can give a direct fingerprint of the superconducting gap in real space that may lead to a definite conclusion on its symmetry for CeCoIn5 and related 115 compounds. The QPI pattern for both magnetic and nonmagnetic impurities is calculated for the possible d-wave symmetries and characteristic differences are found that may be identified by use of the STM method.

Fermi-surface topology of the heavy-fermion system Ce2PtIn8

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klotz, J.; Götze, K.; Green, E. L.; Demuer, A.; Shishido, H.; Ishida, T.; Harima, H.; Wosnitza, J.; Sheikin, I.

2018-04-01

Ce2PtIn8 is a recently discovered heavy-fermion system structurally related to the well-studied superconductor CeCoIn5. Here we report on low-temperature de Haas-van Alphen-effect measurements in high magnetic fields in Ce2PtIn8 and Pr2PtIn8 . In addition, we performed band-structure calculations for localized and itinerant Ce-4 f electrons in Ce2PtIn8 . Comparison with the experimental data of Ce2PtIn8 and of the 4 f -localized Pr2PtIn8 suggests the itinerant character of the Ce-4 f electrons. This conclusion is further supported by the observation of effective masses in Ce2PtIn8 , which are strongly enhanced with up to 26 bare electron masses.

Superconductivity. Observation of broken time-reversal symmetry in the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt₃.

PubMed

Schemm, E R; Gannon, W J; Wishne, C M; Halperin, W P; Kapitulnik, A

2014-07-11

Models of superconductivity in unconventional materials can be experimentally differentiated by the predictions they make for the symmetries of the superconducting order parameter. In the case of the heavy-fermion superconductor UPt3, a key question is whether its multiple superconducting phases preserve or break time-reversal symmetry (TRS). We tested for asymmetry in the phase shift between left and right circularly polarized light reflected from a single crystal of UPt3 at normal incidence and found that this so-called polar Kerr effect appears only below the lower of the two zero-field superconducting transition temperatures. Our results provide evidence for broken TRS in the low-temperature superconducting phase of UPt3, implying a complex two-component order parameter for superconductivity in this system. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Robust upward dispersion of the neutron spin resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce 1–xYb xCoIn 5

DOE PAGES

Song, Yu; Van Dyke, John; Lum, I. K.; ...

2016-09-28

Here, the neutron spin resonance is a collective magnetic excitation that appears in copper oxide, iron pnictide, and heavy fermion unconventional superconductors. Although the resonance is commonly associated with a spin-exciton due to the d(s ±)-wave symmetry of the superconducting order parameter, it has also been proposed to be a magnon-like excitation appearing in the superconducting state. Here we use inelastic neutron scattering to demonstrate that the resonance in the heavy fermion superconductor Ce 1–xYb xCoIn 5 with x=0,0.05,0.3 has a ring-like upward dispersion that is robust against Yb-doping. By comparing our experimental data with random phase approximation calculation usingmore » the electronic structure and the momentum dependence of the d x2 –y2-wave superconducting gap determined from scanning tunneling microscopy for CeCoIn 5, we conclude the robust upward dispersing resonance mode in Ce 1–xYb xCoIn 5 is inconsistent with the downward dispersion predicted within the spin-exciton scenari« less

Universal relations with fermionic dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krut, A.; Argüelles, C. R.; Rueda, J. A.; Ruffini, R.

2018-01-01

We have recently introduced a new model for the distribution of dark matter (DM) in galaxies, the Ruffini-Argüelles-Rueda (RAR) model, based on a self-gravitating system of massive fermions at finite temperatures. The RAR model, for fermion masses above keV, successfully describes the DM halos in galaxies, and predicts the existence of a denser quantum core towards the center of each configuration. We demonstrate here, for the first time, that the introduction of a cutoff in the fermion phase-space distribution, necessary to account for galaxies finite size and mass, defines a new solution with a compact quantum core which represents an alternative to the central black hole (BH) scenario for SgrA*. For a fermion mass in the range 48keV ≤ mc2 ≤ 345keV, the DM halo distribution fulfills the most recent data of the Milky Way rotation curves while harbors a dense quantum core of 4×106M⊙ within the S2 star pericenter. In particular, for a fermion mass of mc2 ˜ 50keV the model is able to explain the DM halos from typical dwarf spheroidal to normal elliptical galaxies, while harboring dark and massive compact objects from ˜ 103M⊙ tp to 108M⊙ at their respective centers. The model is shown to be in good agreement with different observationally inferred universal relations, such as the ones connecting DM halos with supermassive dark central objects. Finally, the model provides a natural mechanism for the formation of supermassive BHs as heavy as few ˜ 108M⊙. We argue that larger BH masses (few ˜ 109-10M⊙) may be achieved by assuming subsequent accretion processes onto the above heavy seeds, depending on accretion efficiency and environment.

Gap Symmetry of the Heavy Fermion Superconductor CeCu2Si2 at Ambient Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yu; Liu, Min; Fu, Zhaoming; Chen, Xiangrong; Yang, Fan; Yang, Yi-feng

2018-05-01

Recent observations of two nodeless gaps in superconducting CeCu2 Si2 have raised intensive debates on its exact gap symmetry, while a satisfactory theoretical basis is still lacking. Here we propose a phenomenological approach to calculate the superconducting gap functions, taking into consideration both the realistic Fermi surface topology and the intra- and interband quantum critical scatterings. Our calculations yield a nodeless s±-wave solution in the presence of strong interband pairing interaction, in good agreement with experiments. This provides a possible basis for understanding the superconducting gap symmetry of CeCu2 Si2 at ambient pressure and indicates the potential importance of multiple Fermi surfaces and interband pairing interaction in understanding heavy fermion superconductivity.

Global analysis of fermion mixing with exotics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nardi, Enrico; Roulet, Esteban; Tommasini, Daniele

1991-01-01

The limits are analyzed on deviation of the lepton and quark weak-couplings from their standard model values in a general class of models where the known fermions are allowed to mix with new heavy particles with exotic SU(2) x U(1) quantum number assignments (left-handed singlets or right-handed doublets). These mixings appear in many extensions of the electroweak theory such as models with mirror fermions, E(sub 6) models, etc. The results update previous analyses and improve considerably the existing bounds.

Resonant pairing between fermions with unequal masses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Shin-Tza; Pao, C.-H.; Yip, S.-K.

We study via mean-field theory the pairing between fermions of different masses, especially at the unitary limit. At equal populations, the thermodynamic properties are identical with the equal mass case provided an appropriate rescaling is made. At unequal populations, for sufficiently light majority species, the system does not phase separate. For sufficiently heavy majority species, the phase separated normal phase have a density larger than that of the superfluid. For atoms in harmonic traps, the density profiles for unequal mass fermions can be drastically different from their equal-mass counterparts.

Fermion masses through four-fermion condensates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ayyar, Venkitesh; Chandrasekharan, Shailesh

Fermion masses can be generated through four-fermion condensates when symmetries prevent fermion bilinear condensates from forming. This less explored mechanism of fermion mass generation is responsible for making four reduced staggered lattice fermions massive at strong couplings in a lattice model with a local four-fermion coupling. The model has a massless fermion phase at weak couplings and a massive fermion phase at strong couplings. In particular there is no spontaneous symmetry breaking of any lattice symmetries in both these phases. Recently it was discovered that in three space-time dimensions there is a direct second order phase transition between the twomore » phases. Here we study the same model in four space-time dimensions and find results consistent with the existence of a narrow intermediate phase with fermion bilinear condensates, that separates the two asymptotic phases by continuous phase transitions.« less

Three-dimensional dualities with bosons and fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benini, Francesco

2018-02-01

We propose new infinite families of non-supersymmetric IR dualities in three space-time dimensions, between Chern-Simons gauge theories (with classical gauge groups) with both scalars and fermions in the fundamental representation. In all cases we study the phase diagram as we vary two relevant couplings, finding interesting lines of phase transitions. In various cases the dualities lead to predictions about multi-critical fixed points and the emergence of IR quantum symmetries. For unitary groups we also discuss the coupling to background gauge fields and the map of simple monopole operators.

Three-dimensional Majorana fermions in chiral superconductors

DOE PAGES

Kozii, Vladyslav; Venderbos, Jorn W. F.; Fu, Liang

2016-12-07

Using a systematic symmetry and topology analysis, we establish that three-dimensional chiral superconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling and odd-parity pairing generically host low-energy nodal quasiparticles that are spin-nondegenerate and realize Majorana fermions in three dimensions. By examining all types of chiral Cooper pairs with total angular momentum J formed by Bloch electrons with angular momentum j in crystals, we obtain a comprehensive classification of gapless Majorana quasiparticles in terms of energy-momentum relation and location on the Fermi surface. We show that the existence of bulk Majorana fermions in the vicinity of spin-selective point nodes is rooted in the nonunitary naturemore » of chiral pairing in spin-orbit–coupled superconductors. We address experimental signatures of Majorana fermions and find that the nuclear magnetic resonance spin relaxation rate is significantly suppressed for nuclear spins polarized along the nodal direction as a consequence of the spin-selective Majorana nature of nodal quasiparticles. Furthermore, Majorana nodes in the bulk have nontrivial topology and imply the presence of Majorana bound states on the surface, which form arcs in momentum space. We conclude by proposing the heavy fermion superconductor PrOs 4Sb 12 and related materials as promising candidates for nonunitary chiral superconductors hosting three-dimensional Majorana fermions.« less

Three-dimensional Majorana fermions in chiral superconductors.

PubMed

Kozii, Vladyslav; Venderbos, Jörn W F; Fu, Liang

2016-12-01

Using a systematic symmetry and topology analysis, we establish that three-dimensional chiral superconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling and odd-parity pairing generically host low-energy nodal quasiparticles that are spin-nondegenerate and realize Majorana fermions in three dimensions. By examining all types of chiral Cooper pairs with total angular momentum J formed by Bloch electrons with angular momentum j in crystals, we obtain a comprehensive classification of gapless Majorana quasiparticles in terms of energy-momentum relation and location on the Fermi surface. We show that the existence of bulk Majorana fermions in the vicinity of spin-selective point nodes is rooted in the nonunitary nature of chiral pairing in spin-orbit-coupled superconductors. We address experimental signatures of Majorana fermions and find that the nuclear magnetic resonance spin relaxation rate is significantly suppressed for nuclear spins polarized along the nodal direction as a consequence of the spin-selective Majorana nature of nodal quasiparticles. Furthermore, Majorana nodes in the bulk have nontrivial topology and imply the presence of Majorana bound states on the surface, which form arcs in momentum space. We conclude by proposing the heavy fermion superconductor PrOs 4 Sb 12 and related materials as promising candidates for nonunitary chiral superconductors hosting three-dimensional Majorana fermions.

Three-dimensional Majorana fermions in chiral superconductors

PubMed Central

Kozii, Vladyslav; Venderbos, Jörn W. F.; Fu, Liang

2016-01-01

Using a systematic symmetry and topology analysis, we establish that three-dimensional chiral superconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling and odd-parity pairing generically host low-energy nodal quasiparticles that are spin-nondegenerate and realize Majorana fermions in three dimensions. By examining all types of chiral Cooper pairs with total angular momentum J formed by Bloch electrons with angular momentum j in crystals, we obtain a comprehensive classification of gapless Majorana quasiparticles in terms of energy-momentum relation and location on the Fermi surface. We show that the existence of bulk Majorana fermions in the vicinity of spin-selective point nodes is rooted in the nonunitary nature of chiral pairing in spin-orbit–coupled superconductors. We address experimental signatures of Majorana fermions and find that the nuclear magnetic resonance spin relaxation rate is significantly suppressed for nuclear spins polarized along the nodal direction as a consequence of the spin-selective Majorana nature of nodal quasiparticles. Furthermore, Majorana nodes in the bulk have nontrivial topology and imply the presence of Majorana bound states on the surface, which form arcs in momentum space. We conclude by proposing the heavy fermion superconductor PrOs4Sb12 and related materials as promising candidates for nonunitary chiral superconductors hosting three-dimensional Majorana fermions. PMID:27957543

Tuning the electronic hybridization in the heavy fermion cage compound YbFe2Zn20 with Cd doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabrera-Baez, M.; Ribeiro, R. A.; Avila, M. A.

2016-09-01

The tuning of the electronic properties of heavy fermion compounds by chemical substitution provides excellent opportunities for further understanding the physics of hybridized ions in crystal lattices. Here we present an investigation on the effects of Cd doping in flux-grown single crystals of the complex intermetallic cage compound YbFe2Zn20, which has been described as a heavy fermion with a Sommerfeld coefficient of 535 mJ mol-1 · K-2. The substitution of Cd for Zn disturbs the system by expanding the unit cell and, in this case, the size of the Zn cages that surround the Yb and Fe. With an increasing amount of Cd, the hybridization between the Yb 4f electrons and the conduction electrons is weakened, as shown by a decrease in the Sommerfeld coefficient, which should be accompanied by a valence shift of the Yb3+ due to the negative chemical pressure effect. This scenario is also supported by the low temperature DC magnetic susceptibility, which is gradually suppressed and shows an increment of the Kondo temperature, based on a shift to higher temperatures of the characteristic broad susceptibility peak. Furthermore, the DC resistivity decreases with the isoelectronic substitution of Cd for Zn, contrary to expectations in an increasingly disordered system, and implying that the valence shift is not related to charge carrier doping. The combined results demonstrate the excellent complementarity between positive physical pressure and negative chemical pressure, and point to a rich playground for exploring the physics and chemistry of strongly correlated electron systems in the general family of Zn20 compounds, despite their structural complexity.

Electronic structure of ferromagnetic heavy fermion, YbPdSi, YbPdGe, and YbPtGe studied by photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray emission spectroscopy, and DFT + DMFT calculations

DOE PAGES

Yamaoka, Hitoshi; Thunstrom, Patrik; Tsujii, Naohito; ...

2017-11-02

Here, the electronic structures of ferromagnetic heavy fermion Yb compounds of YbPdSi, YbPdGe, and YbPtGe are studied by photoelectron spectroscopy around the Yb 4d–4f resonance, resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy at the Yb L 3 absorption edge, and density functional theory combined with dynamical mean field theory calculations. These compounds all have a temperature-independent intermediate Yb valence with largemore » $${\\rm Yb}^{3+}$$ and small $${\\rm Yb}^{2+}$$ components. The magnitude of the Yb valence is evaluated to be YbPtGe $<$ YbPdGe $$\\lesssim $$ YbPdSi, suggesting that YbPtGe is the closest to the quantum critical point among the three Yb compounds. Our results support the scenario of the coexistence of heavy fermion behavior and ferromagnetic ordering which is described by a magnetically-ordered Kondo lattice where the magnitude of the Kondo effect and the RKKY interaction are comparable.« less

Electronic structure of ferromagnetic heavy fermion, YbPdSi, YbPdGe, and YbPtGe studied by photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray emission spectroscopy, and DFT + DMFT calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamaoka, Hitoshi; Thunstrom, Patrik; Tsujii, Naohito

Here, the electronic structures of ferromagnetic heavy fermion Yb compounds of YbPdSi, YbPdGe, and YbPtGe are studied by photoelectron spectroscopy around the Yb 4d–4f resonance, resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy at the Yb L 3 absorption edge, and density functional theory combined with dynamical mean field theory calculations. These compounds all have a temperature-independent intermediate Yb valence with largemore » $${\\rm Yb}^{3+}$$ and small $${\\rm Yb}^{2+}$$ components. The magnitude of the Yb valence is evaluated to be YbPtGe $<$ YbPdGe $$\\lesssim $$ YbPdSi, suggesting that YbPtGe is the closest to the quantum critical point among the three Yb compounds. Our results support the scenario of the coexistence of heavy fermion behavior and ferromagnetic ordering which is described by a magnetically-ordered Kondo lattice where the magnitude of the Kondo effect and the RKKY interaction are comparable.« less

Kondo lattice heavy fermion behavior in CeRh2Ga2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, V. K.; Adroja, D. T.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Klemke, B.; Lake, B.

2017-04-01

The physical properties of an intermetallic compound CeRh2Ga2 have been investigated by magnetic susceptibility χ (T) , isothermal magnetization M(H), heat capacity {{C}\\text{p}}(T) , electrical resistivity ρ (T) , thermal conductivity κ (T) and thermopower S(T) measurements. CeRh2Ga2 is found to crystallize with CaBe2Ge2-type primitive tetragonal structure (space group P4/nmm). No evidence of long range magnetic order is seen down to 1.8 K. The χ (T) data show paramagnetic behavior with an effective moment {μ\\text{eff}}≈ 2.5~{μ\\text{B}} /Ce indicating Ce3+ valence state of Ce ions. The ρ (T) data exhibit Kondo lattice behavior with a metallic ground state. The low-T {{C}\\text{p}}(T) data yield an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient γ =130(2) mJ/mol K2 characterizing CeRh2Ga2 as a moderate heavy fermion system. The high-T {{C}\\text{p}}(T) and ρ (T) show an anomaly near 255 K, reflecting a phase transition. The κ (T) suggests phonon dominated thermal transport with considerably higher values of Lorenz number L(T) compared to the theoretical Sommerfeld value L 0.

Hybridization in Kondo lattice heavy fermions via quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy (QPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narasiwodeyar, Sanjay; Dwyer, Matt; Greene, Laura; Park, Wan Kyu; Bauer, Eric; Tobash, Paul; Baumbach, Ryan; Ronning, Filip; Sarrao, John; Thompson, Joe; Canfield, Paul

2014-03-01

Band renormalization in a Kondo lattice via hybridization of the conduction band with localized states has been a hot topic over the last several years. In part, this has to do with recently reignited interest in the hidden order problem in URu2Si2. Despite recent developments regarding the electronic structure in this compound, it remains to be resolved whether the hidden order phase transition is related to the opening of a hybridization gap. Our quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy (QPS) has shown they are not related directly. This can be understood naturally since in principle band renormalization does not involve symmetry breaking. To deepen our understanding, we extend to other Kondo lattice compounds. For instance, when applied to YbAl3, a vegetable heavy-fermion system, QPS reveals conductance signatures for hybridization in a Kondo lattice such as asymmetric Fano background along with characteristic energy scales. Presenting new results on these materials, we will discuss a broader picture. The work at UIUC is supported by the NSF DMR 12-06766, the work at LANL is carried out under the auspices of the U.S. DOE, Office of Science, and the work done at Ames Lab. was supported under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358.

Evidence of f-electron localization at a heavy-fermion quantum critical point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steglich, Frank

2014-03-01

The prototypical heavy-fermion compound YbRh2Si2 exhibits a magnetic-field (B) induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP) at Bc (⊥c) ~ 60 mT. As inferred from transport and thermodynamic measurements a quantum-critical energy scale, kB T *(B) , indicating a crossover of the Fermi surface, has been established for this system. Upon extrapolating finite-temperature (T) data to T = 0, one concludes (i) a vanishing of T*(B) and (ii) an abrupt drop in the (normal) Hall coefficient RH(B) at B =Bc , verifying the proposal of a Kondo destroying QCP. The dynamical processes underlying this apparent break-up of the Kondo singlets have been explored by studying the Lorenz ratio L/L0 as a function of Tand B. Here, L = ρ / w is the ratio of the electrical (ρ) and thermal (w = L0 T / κ) resistivities, with κ being the thermal conductivity and L0 = (πkB)2 /3e2 Sommerfeld's constant. By properly taking care of bosonic (magnon/paramagnon) contributions to the heat current which exist at finite temperature only, extrapolation of the measured data to T = 0 yields a purely electronic Lorenz ratio L/L0 = 1 at B ≠Bc . At B = Bc, we extrapolate L/L0 ~ 0.9. Therefore, the Wiedemann Franz (WF) law holds at any value of the control parameter B, except for the field-induced QCP, as is also illustrated by a pronounced heating of the sample when measuring the low - T electrical resistivity in the vicinity of the critical magnetic field. This violation of the WF law is ascribed to scatterings of the electronic heat carriers from fermionic quantum-critical fluctuations, namely those of the Fermi surface. Work done in collaboration with H. Pfau, S. Lausberg, P. Sun, U. Stockert, M. Brando, S. Friedemann, C. Krellner, C. Geibel, S. Wirth, S. Kirchner, E. Abrahams and Q. Si.

Constraining anomalous Higgs boson couplings to the heavy-flavor fermions using matrix element techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gritsan, Andrei V.; Röntsch, Raoul; Schulze, Markus; Xiao, Meng

2016-09-01

In this paper, we investigate anomalous interactions of the Higgs boson with heavy fermions, employing shapes of kinematic distributions. We study the processes p p →t t ¯+H , b b ¯+H , t q +H , and p p →H →τ+τ- and present applications of event generation, reweighting techniques for fast simulation of anomalous couplings, as well as matrix element techniques for optimal sensitivity. We extend the matrix element likelihood approach (MELA) technique, which proved to be a powerful matrix element tool for Higgs boson discovery and characterization during Run I of the LHC, and implement all analysis tools in the JHU generator framework. A next-to-leading-order QCD description of the p p →t t ¯+H process allows us to investigate the performance of the MELA in the presence of extra radiation. Finally, projections for LHC measurements through the end of Run III are presented.

Dynamical Electroweak Symmetry Breaking with a Heavy Fermion in Light of Recent LHC Results

DOE PAGES

Hung, Pham Q.

2013-01-01

The recent announcement of a discovery of a possible Higgs-like particle—its spin and parity are yet to be determined—at the LHC with a mass of 126 GeV necessitates a fresh look at the nature of the electroweak symmetry breaking, in particular if this newly-discovered particle will turn out to have the quantum numbers of a Standard Model Higgs boson. Even if it were a 0 + scalar with the properties expected for a SM Higgs boson, there is still the quintessential hierarchy problem that one has to deal with and which, by itself, suggests a new physics energy scale around 1 TeV.more » This paper presents a minireview of one possible scenario: the formation of a fermion-antifermion condensate coming from a very heavy fourth generation, carrying the quantum number of the SM Higgs field, and thus breaking the electroweak symmetry.« less

Non-universal bound states of two identical heavy fermions and one light particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safavi, Arghavan; Rittenhouse, Seth; Blume, Dorte; Sadeghpour, Hossein

2013-05-01

We study a system of two identical heavy fermions of mass M and light particle of mass m. The interspecies interaction is modeled using a short-range two-body potential with positive s-wave scattering length. We impose a short-range boundary condition on the logarithmic derivative of the hyperradial wavefunction and show that, in the regime where Efimov states are absent, a non-universal three-body state ``cuts through'' the universal three-body states previously described by Kartavtsev and Malykh [O. I. Kartavtsev and A. V. Malykh, J. Phys. B 40, 1429 (2007)]. We study the effect of the non-universal state on the behavior of the universal states and use a simple quantum defect theory, utilizing hyperspherical coordinates, to explain the existence of the non-universal state. An empirical two-state model is employed to quantify the coupling of the non-universal state to the universal states. This work was supported by NSF through a grant for the Institute for Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics at Harvard University and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and through grant PHY-1205443.

Bold Diagrammatic Monte Carlo for Fermionic and Fermionized Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svistunov, Boris

2013-03-01

In three different fermionic cases--repulsive Hubbard model, resonant fermions, and fermionized spins-1/2 (on triangular lattice)--we observe the phenomenon of sign blessing: Feynman diagrammatic series features finite convergence radius despite factorial growth of the number of diagrams with diagram order. Bold diagrammatic Monte Carlo technique allows us to sample millions of skeleton Feynman diagrams. With the universal fermionization trick we can fermionize essentially any (bosonic, spin, mixed, etc.) lattice system. The combination of fermionization and Bold diagrammatic Monte Carlo yields a universal first-principle approach to strongly correlated lattice systems, provided the sign blessing is a generic fermionic phenomenon. Supported by NSF and DARPA

Fully gapped superconductivity with no sign change in the prototypical heavy-fermion CeCu2Si2.

PubMed

Yamashita, Takuya; Takenaka, Takaaki; Tokiwa, Yoshifumi; Wilcox, Joseph A; Mizukami, Yuta; Terazawa, Daiki; Kasahara, Yuichi; Kittaka, Shunichiro; Sakakibara, Toshiro; Konczykowski, Marcin; Seiro, Silvia; Jeevan, Hirale S; Geibel, Christoph; Putzke, Carsten; Onishi, Takafumi; Ikeda, Hiroaki; Carrington, Antony; Shibauchi, Takasada; Matsuda, Yuji

2017-06-01

In exotic superconductors, including high- T c copper oxides, the interactions mediating electron Cooper pairing are widely considered to have a magnetic rather than a conventional electron-phonon origin. Interest in this exotic pairing was initiated by the 1979 discovery of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeCu 2 Si 2 , which exhibits strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations. A hallmark of unconventional pairing by anisotropic repulsive interactions is that the superconducting energy gap changes sign as a function of the electron momentum, often leading to nodes where the gap goes to zero. We report low-temperature specific heat, thermal conductivity, and magnetic penetration depth measurements in CeCu 2 Si 2 , demonstrating the absence of gap nodes at any point on the Fermi surface. Moreover, electron irradiation experiments reveal that the superconductivity survives even when the electron mean free path becomes substantially shorter than the superconducting coherence length. This indicates that superconductivity is robust against impurities, implying that there is no sign change in the gap function. These results show that, contrary to long-standing belief, heavy electrons with extremely strong Coulomb repulsions can condense into a fully gapped s-wave superconducting state, which has an on-site attractive pairing interaction.

Fully gapped superconductivity with no sign change in the prototypical heavy-fermion CeCu2Si2

PubMed Central

Yamashita, Takuya; Takenaka, Takaaki; Tokiwa, Yoshifumi; Wilcox, Joseph A.; Mizukami, Yuta; Terazawa, Daiki; Kasahara, Yuichi; Kittaka, Shunichiro; Sakakibara, Toshiro; Konczykowski, Marcin; Seiro, Silvia; Jeevan, Hirale S.; Geibel, Christoph; Putzke, Carsten; Onishi, Takafumi; Ikeda, Hiroaki; Carrington, Antony; Shibauchi, Takasada; Matsuda, Yuji

2017-01-01

In exotic superconductors, including high-Tc copper oxides, the interactions mediating electron Cooper pairing are widely considered to have a magnetic rather than a conventional electron-phonon origin. Interest in this exotic pairing was initiated by the 1979 discovery of heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeCu2Si2, which exhibits strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations. A hallmark of unconventional pairing by anisotropic repulsive interactions is that the superconducting energy gap changes sign as a function of the electron momentum, often leading to nodes where the gap goes to zero. We report low-temperature specific heat, thermal conductivity, and magnetic penetration depth measurements in CeCu2Si2, demonstrating the absence of gap nodes at any point on the Fermi surface. Moreover, electron irradiation experiments reveal that the superconductivity survives even when the electron mean free path becomes substantially shorter than the superconducting coherence length. This indicates that superconductivity is robust against impurities, implying that there is no sign change in the gap function. These results show that, contrary to long-standing belief, heavy electrons with extremely strong Coulomb repulsions can condense into a fully gapped s-wave superconducting state, which has an on-site attractive pairing interaction. PMID:28691082

Probing the fermionic Higgs portal at lepton colliders

DOE PAGES

Fedderke, Michael A.; Lin, Tongyan; Wang, Lian -Tao

2016-04-26

Here, we study the sensitivity of future electron-positron colliders to UV completions of the fermionic Higgs portal operator H †Hχ¯χ. Measurements of precision electroweak S and T parameters and the e +e – → Zh cross-section at the CEPC, FCC-ee, and ILC are considered. The scalar completion of the fermionic Higgs portal is closely related to the scalar Higgs portal, and we summarize existing results. We devote the bulk of our analysis to a singlet-doublet fermion completion. Assuming the doublet is sufficiently heavy, we construct the effective field theory (EFT) at dimension-6 in order to compute contributions to the observables.more » We also provide full one-loop results for S and T in the general mass parameter space. In both completions, future precision measurements can probe the new states at the (multi-)TeV scale, beyond the direct reach of the LHC.« less

Probing the fermionic Higgs portal at lepton colliders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fedderke, Michael A.; Lin, Tongyan; Wang, Lian -Tao

Here, we study the sensitivity of future electron-positron colliders to UV completions of the fermionic Higgs portal operator H †Hχ¯χ. Measurements of precision electroweak S and T parameters and the e +e – → Zh cross-section at the CEPC, FCC-ee, and ILC are considered. The scalar completion of the fermionic Higgs portal is closely related to the scalar Higgs portal, and we summarize existing results. We devote the bulk of our analysis to a singlet-doublet fermion completion. Assuming the doublet is sufficiently heavy, we construct the effective field theory (EFT) at dimension-6 in order to compute contributions to the observables.more » We also provide full one-loop results for S and T in the general mass parameter space. In both completions, future precision measurements can probe the new states at the (multi-)TeV scale, beyond the direct reach of the LHC.« less

Visualizing heavy fermion confinement and Pauli-limited superconductivity in layered CeCoIn 5

DOE PAGES

Gyenis, András; Feldman, Benjamin E.; Randeria, Mallika T.; ...

2018-02-07

Layered material structures play a key role in enhancing electron–electron interactions to create correlated metallic phases that can transform into unconventional superconducting states. The quasi-two-dimensional electronic properties of such compounds are often inferred indirectly through examination of bulk properties. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to directly probe in cross-section the quasi-two-dimensional electronic states of the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn 5. Our measurements reveal the strong confined nature of quasiparticles, anisotropy of tunneling characteristics, and layer-by-layer modulated behavior of the precursor pseudogap gap phase. In the interlayer coupled superconducting state, the orientation of line defects relative to the d-wave ordermore » parameter determines whether in-gap states form due to scattering. Spectroscopic imaging of the anisotropic magnetic vortex cores directly characterizes the short interlayer superconducting coherence length and shows an electronic phase separation near the upper critical in-plane magnetic field, consistent with a Pauli-limited first-order phase transition into a pseudogap phase.« less

Fermion number anomaly with the fluffy mirror fermion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okumura, Ken-ichi; Suzuki, Hiroshi

2016-12-01

Quite recently, Grabowska and Kaplan presented a 4-dimensional lattice formulation of chiral gauge theories based on the chiral overlap operator. We study this formulation from the perspective of the fermion number anomaly and possible associated phenomenology. A simple argument shows that the consistency of the formulation implies that the fermion with the opposite chirality to the physical one, the "fluffy mirror fermion" or "fluff", suffers from the fermion number anomaly in the same magnitude (with the opposite sign) as the physical fermion. This immediately shows that if at least one of the fluff quarks is massless, the formulation provides a simple viable solution to the strong CP problem. Also, if the fluff interacts with gravity essentially in the same way as the physical fermion, the formulation can realize the asymmetric dark matter scenario.

The zero-bias anomaly of point contacts with ferromagnetic Ni and with the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeAl2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gloos, Kurt; Huupponen, Jouko

2010-01-01

We have investigated spear-anvil type point-contacts between ferromagnetic nickel as well as the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeAl2 and various simple metals (Cu, Ta, Nb). Contacts with small resistance usually showed electron-phonon scattering, Andreev reflection in case of superconducting counter-electrodes, as well as anomalies due to magnetic ordering. With increasing contact resistance (decreasing contact size) a zero-bias anomaly appeared in both Ni and CeAl2 contacts. It is conventionally attributed to resonant scattering at two-level systems or at magnetic impurities (Kondo effect). At contacts of ~ 1 nm diameter it suppressed completely all other spectral features. We discuss whether those mechanisms are relevant here and what alternatives there might be.

New chiral fermions, a new gauge interaction, Dirac neutrinos, and dark matter

DOE PAGES

de Gouvea, Andre; Hernandez, Daniel

2015-10-07

Here, we propose that all light fermionic degrees of freedom, including the Standard Model (SM) fermions and all possible light beyond-the-standard-model fields, are chiral with respect to some spontaneously broken abelian gauge symmetry. Hypercharge, for example, plays this role for the SM fermions. We introduce a new symmetry, U(1) ν , for all new light fermionic states. Anomaly cancellations mandate the existence of several new fermion fields with nontrivial U(1) ν charges. We develop a concrete model of this type, for which we show that (i) some fermions remain massless after U(1) ν breaking — similar to SM neutrinos —more » and (ii) accidental global symmetries translate into stable massive particles — similar to SM protons. These ingredients provide a solution to the dark matter and neutrino mass puzzles assuming one also postulates the existence of heavy degrees of freedom that act as “mediators” between the two sectors. The neutrino mass mechanism described here leads to parametrically small Dirac neutrino masses, and the model also requires the existence of at least four Dirac sterile neutrinos. Finally, we describe a general technique to write down chiral-fermions-only models that are at least anomaly-free under a U(1) gauge symmetry.« less

New chiral fermions, a new gauge interaction, Dirac neutrinos, and dark matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

de Gouvea, Andre; Hernandez, Daniel

Here, we propose that all light fermionic degrees of freedom, including the Standard Model (SM) fermions and all possible light beyond-the-standard-model fields, are chiral with respect to some spontaneously broken abelian gauge symmetry. Hypercharge, for example, plays this role for the SM fermions. We introduce a new symmetry, U(1) ν , for all new light fermionic states. Anomaly cancellations mandate the existence of several new fermion fields with nontrivial U(1) ν charges. We develop a concrete model of this type, for which we show that (i) some fermions remain massless after U(1) ν breaking — similar to SM neutrinos —more » and (ii) accidental global symmetries translate into stable massive particles — similar to SM protons. These ingredients provide a solution to the dark matter and neutrino mass puzzles assuming one also postulates the existence of heavy degrees of freedom that act as “mediators” between the two sectors. The neutrino mass mechanism described here leads to parametrically small Dirac neutrino masses, and the model also requires the existence of at least four Dirac sterile neutrinos. Finally, we describe a general technique to write down chiral-fermions-only models that are at least anomaly-free under a U(1) gauge symmetry.« less

Dehybridization of f and d states in the heavy-fermion system YbRh 2 Si 2

DOE PAGES

Leuenberger, D.; Sobota, J. A.; Yang, S. -L.; ...

2018-04-06

Here, we report an optically induced reduction of the f-d hybridization in the prototypical heavy-fermion compound YbRh 2Si 2. We use femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to monitor changes of spectral weight and binding energies of the Yb 4f and Rh 4d states before the lattice temperature increases after pumping. Overall, the f-d hybridization decreases smoothly with increasing electronic temperature up to ~ 250 K but changes slope at ~ 100 K. This temperature scale coincides with the onset of coherent Kondo scattering and with thermally populating the first excited crystal electrical field level. Extending previous photoemission studies, wemore » observe a persistent f-d hybridization up to at least ~ 250 K, which is far larger than the coherence temperature defined by transport but in agreement with the temperature dependence of the noninteger Yb valence. Our data underlines the distinction of probes accessing spin and charge degrees of freedom in strongly correlated systems.« less

Dehybridization of f and d states in the heavy-fermion system YbRh 2 Si 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leuenberger, D.; Sobota, J. A.; Yang, S. -L.

Here, we report an optically induced reduction of the f-d hybridization in the prototypical heavy-fermion compound YbRh 2Si 2. We use femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to monitor changes of spectral weight and binding energies of the Yb 4f and Rh 4d states before the lattice temperature increases after pumping. Overall, the f-d hybridization decreases smoothly with increasing electronic temperature up to ~ 250 K but changes slope at ~ 100 K. This temperature scale coincides with the onset of coherent Kondo scattering and with thermally populating the first excited crystal electrical field level. Extending previous photoemission studies, wemore » observe a persistent f-d hybridization up to at least ~ 250 K, which is far larger than the coherence temperature defined by transport but in agreement with the temperature dependence of the noninteger Yb valence. Our data underlines the distinction of probes accessing spin and charge degrees of freedom in strongly correlated systems.« less

Dehybridization of f and d states in the heavy-fermion system YbRh2Si2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leuenberger, D.; Sobota, J. A.; Yang, S.-L.; Pfau, H.; Kim, D.-J.; Mo, S.-K.; Fisk, Z.; Kirchmann, P. S.; Shen, Z.-X.

2018-04-01

We report an optically induced reduction of the f -d hybridization in the prototypical heavy-fermion compound YbRh2Si2 . We use femtosecond time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to monitor changes of spectral weight and binding energies of the Yb 4 f and Rh 4 d states before the lattice temperature increases after pumping. Overall, the f -d hybridization decreases smoothly with increasing electronic temperature up to ˜250 K but changes slope at ˜100 K . This temperature scale coincides with the onset of coherent Kondo scattering and with thermally populating the first excited crystal electrical field level. Extending previous photoemission studies, we observe a persistent f -d hybridization up to at least ˜250 K , which is far larger than the coherence temperature defined by transport but in agreement with the temperature dependence of the noninteger Yb valence. Our data underlines the distinction of probes accessing spin and charge degrees of freedom in strongly correlated systems.

Nodal quasiparticle dynamics in the heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn₅ revealed by precision microwave spectroscopy.

PubMed

Truncik, C J S; Huttema, W A; Turner, P J; Ozcan, S; Murphy, N C; Carrière, P R; Thewalt, E; Morse, K J; Koenig, A J; Sarrao, J L; Broun, D M

2013-01-01

CeCoIn₅ is a heavy fermion superconductor with strong similarities to the high-Tc cuprates, including quasi-two-dimensionality, proximity to antiferromagnetism and probable d-wave pairing arising from a non-Fermi-liquid normal state. Experiments allowing detailed comparisons of their electronic properties are of particular interest, but in most cases are difficult to realize, due to their very different transition temperatures. Here we use low-temperature microwave spectroscopy to study the charge dynamics of the CeCoIn₅ superconducting state. The similarities to cuprates, in particular to ultra-clean YBa₂Cu₃O(y), are striking: the frequency and temperature dependence of the quasiparticle conductivity are instantly recognizable, a consequence of rapid suppression of quasiparticle scattering below T(c); and penetration-depth data, when properly treated, reveal a clean, linear temperature dependence of the quasiparticle contribution to superfluid density. The measurements also expose key differences, including prominent multiband effects and a temperature-dependent renormalization of the quasiparticle mass.

Raman Signatures of Broken Inversion Symmetry and In-Plane Anisotropy in Type-II Weyl Semimetal Candidate TaIrTe4.

PubMed

Liu, Yinan; Gu, Qiangqiang; Peng, Yu; Qi, Shaomian; Zhang, Na; Zhang, Yinong; Ma, Xiumei; Zhu, Rui; Tong, Lianming; Feng, Ji; Liu, Zheng; Chen, Jian-Hao

2018-05-07

The layered ternary compound TaIrTe 4 is an important candidate to host the recently predicted type-II Weyl fermions. However, a direct and definitive proof of the absence of inversion symmetry in this material, a prerequisite for the existence of Weyl Fermions, has so far remained evasive. Herein, an unambiguous identification of the broken inversion symmetry in TaIrTe 4 is established using angle-resolved polarized Raman spectroscopy. Combining with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, an efficient and nondestructive recipe to determine the exact crystallographic orientation of TaIrTe 4 crystals is demonstrated. Such technique could be extended to the fast identification and characterization of other type-II Weyl fermions candidates. A surprisingly strong in-plane electrical anisotropy in TaIrTe 4 thin flakes is also revealed, up to 200% at 10 K, which is the strongest known electrical anisotropy for materials with comparable carrier density, notably in such good metals as copper and silver. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Raman spectroscopic signature of fractionalized excitations in the harmonic-honeycomb iridates β- and γ-Li2IrO3

PubMed Central

Glamazda, A.; Lemmens, P.; Do, S. -H.; Choi, Y. S.; Choi, K. -Y.

2016-01-01

The fractionalization of elementary excitations in quantum spin systems is a central theme in current condensed matter physics. The Kitaev honeycomb spin model provides a prominent example of exotic fractionalized quasiparticles, composed of itinerant Majorana fermions and gapped gauge fluxes. However, identification of the Majorana fermions in a three-dimensional honeycomb lattice remains elusive. Here we report spectroscopic signatures of fractional excitations in the harmonic-honeycomb iridates β- and γ-Li2IrO3. Using polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy, we find that the dynamical Raman response of β- and γ-Li2IrO3 features a broad scattering continuum with distinct polarization and composition dependence. The temperature dependence of the Raman spectral weight is dominated by the thermal damping of fermionic excitations. These results suggest the emergence of Majorana fermions from spin fractionalization in a three-dimensional Kitaev–Heisenberg system. PMID:27457278

Unconventional and conventional quantum criticalities in CeRh0.58Ir0.42In5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Yongkang; Lu, Xin; Dioguardi, Aadm P.; Rosa, Priscila F. S.; Bauer, Eric D.; Si, Qimiao; Thompson, Joe D.

2018-03-01

An appropriate description of the state of matter that appears as a second order phase transition is tuned toward zero temperature, viz. quantum-critical point (QCP), poses fundamental and still not fully answered questions. Experiments are needed both to test basic conclusions and to guide further refinement of theoretical models. Here, charge and entropy transport properties as well as AC specific heat of the heavy-fermion compound CeRh0.58Ir0.42In5, measured as a function of pressure, reveal two qualitatively different QCPs in a single material driven by a single non-symmetry-breaking tuning parameter. A discontinuous sign-change jump in thermopower suggests an unconventional QCP at pc1 accompanied by an abrupt Fermi-surface reconstruction that is followed by a conventional spin-density-wave critical point at pc2 across which the Fermi surface evolves smoothly to a heavy Fermi-liquid state. These experiments are consistent with some theoretical predictions, including the sequence of critical points and the temperature dependence of the thermopower in their vicinity.

Fermion masses in SO(10)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jungman, Gerard

1992-11-01

Yukawa-coupling-constant unification together with the known fermion masses is used to constrain SO(10) models. We consider the case of one (heavy) generation, with the tree-level relation mb=mτ, calculating the limits on the intermediate scales due to the known limits on fermion masses. This analysis extends previous analyses which addressed only the simplest symmetry-breaking schemes. In the case where the low-energy model is the standard model with one Higgs doublet, there are very strong constraints due to the known limits on the top-quark mass and the τ-neutrino mass. The two-Higgs-doublet case is less constrained, though we can make progress in constraining this model also. We identify those parameters to which the viability of the model is most sensitive. We also discuss the ``triviality'' bounds on mt obtained from the analysis of the Yukawa renormalization-group equations. Finally we address the role of a speculative constraint on the τ-neutrino mass, arising from the cosmological implications of anomalous B+L violation in the early Universe.

I. Aspects of the Dark Matter Problem. II. Fermion Balls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tetradis, Nikolaos Athanassiou

The first part of this thesis deals with the dark matter problem. A simple non-supersymmetric extension of the standard model is presented, which provides dark matter candidates not excluded by the existing dark matter searches. The simplest candidate is the neutral component of a zero hypercharge triplet, with vector gauge interactions. The upper bound on its mass is a few TeV. We also discuss possible modifications of the standard freeze-out scenario, induced by the presence of a phase transition. More specifically, if the critical temperature of the electroweak phase transition is sufficiently small, it can change the final abundances of heavy dark matter particles, by keeping them massless for a long time. Recent experimental bounds on the Higgs mass from LEP imply that this is not the case in the minimal standard model. In the second part we discuss non-trivial configurations, involving fermions which obtain their mass through Yukawa interactions with a scalar field. Under certain conditions, the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field is shifted from the minimum of the effective potential, in regions of high fermion density. This may result in the formation of fermion bound states. We study two such cases: (a) Using the non-linear SU(3)L times SU(3)R chiral Lagrangian coupled to a field theory of nuclear forces, we show that a bound state of baryons with a well defined surface may concievably form in the presence of kaon condensation. This state is of similar density to ordinary nuclei, but has net strangeness equal to about two thirds the baryon number. We discuss the properties of lumps of strange baryon matter with baryon number between ~20 and ~10 57 where gravitational effects become important. (b) The Higgs field near a very heavy top quark or any other heavy fermion is expected to be significantly deformed. By computing explicit solutions of the classical equations of motion for a spherically symmetric configuration without gauge fields, we show

Structural, Electronic and Elastic Properties of Heavy Fermion YbTM2 (TM= Ir and Pt) Laves Phase Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pawar, H.; Shugani, M.; Aynyas, M.; Sanyal, S. P.

2018-02-01

The structural, electronic and elastic properties of YbTM2 (TM = Ir and Pt) Laves phase intermetallic compounds which crystallize in cubic (MgCu2-type) structure, have been investigated using ab-initio full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method with LDA and LDA+U approximation. The calculated ground state properties such as lattice parameter (a0), bulk modulus (B) and its pressure derivative (B‧) are in good agreement with available experimental and theoretical data. The electronic properties are analyzed from band structures and density of states. Elastic constants are predicted first time for these compounds which obey the stability criteria for cubic system.

Cu(Ir1 - xCrx)2S4: a model system for studying nanoscale phase coexistence at the metal-insulator transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Božin, E. S.; Knox, K. R.; Juhás, P.; Hor, Y. S.; Mitchell, J. F.; Billinge, S. J. L.

2014-02-01

Increasingly, nanoscale phase coexistence and hidden broken symmetry states are being found in the vicinity of metal-insulator transitions (MIT), for example, in high temperature superconductors, heavy fermion and colossal magnetoresistive materials, but their importance and possible role in the MIT and related emergent behaviors is not understood. Despite their ubiquity, they are hard to study because they produce weak diffuse signals in most measurements. Here we propose Cu(Ir1 - xCrx)2S4 as a model system, where robust local structural signals lead to key new insights. We demonstrate a hitherto unobserved coexistence of an Ir4+ charge-localized dimer phase and Cr-ferromagnetism. The resulting phase diagram that takes into account the short range dimer order is highly reminiscent of a generic MIT phase diagram similar to the cuprates. We suggest that the presence of quenched strain from dopant ions acts as an arbiter deciding between the competing ground states.

High-resolution x-ray diffraction study of the heavy-fermion compound YbBiPt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ueland, B. G.; Saunders, S. M.; Bud'Ko, S. L.; Schmiedeshoff, G. M.; Canfield, P. C.; Kreyssig, A.; Goldman, A. I.

YbBiPt is a heavy-fermion compound possessing significant short-range antiferromagnetic correlations below T* = 0 . 7 K, fragile antiferromagnetic order below TN = 0 . 4 K, a Kondo temperature of TK ~ 1 K, and crystalline-electric-field splitting (CEF) on the order of E /kB = 1 - 10 K. Its lattice is face-centered cubic at ambient temperature, but certain data, particularly those from studies aimed at determining the CEF level scheme, suggest that the lattice distorts at lower temperature. Here, we present results from high-energy x-ray diffraction experiments which show that, within our experimental resolution of ~ 6 - 10 ×10-5 Å, no structural phase transition occurs between 1 . 5 and 50 K. Despite this result, we demonstrate that the compound's thermal expansion may be modeled using CEF level schemes appropriate for Yb3+ residing on a site with either cubic or less than cubic point symmetry. Work at the Ames Laboratory was supported by the US DOE, BES, DMSE, under Contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358. Work at Occidental College was supported by the NSF under DMR-1408598. This research used resources at the Advanced Photon Source a US DOE, Office of Science, User Facility.

Heavy fermion and Kondo lattice behavior in the itinerant ferromagnet CeCrGe3.

PubMed

Das, Debarchan; Gruner, T; Pfau, H; Paramanik, U B; Burkhardt, U; Geibel, C; Hossain, Z

2014-03-12

Physical properties of polycrystalline CeCrGe3 and LaCrGe3 have been investigated by x-ray absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility χ(T), isothermal magnetization M(H), electrical resistivity ρ(T), specific heat C(T) and thermoelectric power S(T) measurements. These compounds are found to crystallize in the hexagonal perovskite structure (space group P63/mmc), as previously reported. The ρ(T), χ(T) and C(T) data confirm the bulk ferromagnetic ordering of itinerant Cr moments in LaCrGe3 and CeCrGe3 with TC = 90 K and 70 K respectively. In addition, a weak anomaly is also observed near 3 K in the C(T) data of CeCrGe3. The T dependences of ρ and finite values of Sommerfeld coefficient γ obtained from the specific heat measurements confirm that both the compounds are of metallic character. Further, the T dependence of ρ of CeCrGe3 reflects a Kondo lattice behavior. An enhanced γ of 130 mJ mol(-1) K(-2) together with the Kondo lattice behavior inferred from the ρ(T) establish CeCrGe3 as a moderate heavy fermion compound with a quasi-particle mass renormalization factor of ∼45.

Heavy-fermion superconductivity in CeAg2Si2 - Interplay of spin and valence fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheerer, Gernot W.; Ren, Zhi; Lapertot, Gérard; Garbarino, Gaston; Jaccard, Didier

2018-05-01

We present the pressure-temperature phase diagram of the antiferromagnet CeAg2Si2 established via resistivity and calorimetry measurements under quasi-hydrostatic conditions up to 22.5 GPa. With increasing pressure, the Néel temperature [TN (p = 0) = 8.6 K] slowly increases up to TN = 13.4 K at 9.4 GPa and then vanishes abruptly at the magnetic critical pressure pc ∼ 13 GPa. For the first time, heavy fermion superconductivity is observed in CeAg2Si2. Superconductivity emerges at ∼ 11 GPa and persists over roughly 10 GPa. Partial- and bulk-transition temperatures are highest at p = 16 GPa, with a maximal Tcbulk = 1.25 K. In the pressure region of superconductivity, Kondo and crystal-field splitting energies become comparable and resistivity exhibits clear signatures of a Ce-ion valence crossover. The crossover line is located at a rapid collapse in resistivity as function of pressure and extrapolates to a valence transition critical endpoint at critical pressure and temperature of pcr ∼ 17 GPa and Tcr ∼ - 13 K , respectively. Both critical spin and valence fluctuations may build up superconductivity in CeAg2Si2.

Scalar versus fermionic top partner interpretations of toverline{t}+{E}_T^{miss} searches at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraml, Sabine; Laa, Ursula; Panizzi, Luca; Prager, Hugo

2016-11-01

We assess how different ATLAS and CMS searches for supersymmetry in the toverline{t}+{E}_T^{miss} final state at Run 1 of the LHC constrain scenarios with a fermionic top partner and a dark matter candidate. We find that the efficiencies of these searches in all-hadronic, 1-lepton and 2-lepton channels are quite similar for scalar and fermionic top partners. Therefore, in general, efficiency maps for stop-neutralino simplified models can also be applied to fermionic top-partner models, provided the narrow width approximation holds in the latter. Owing to the much higher production cross-sections of heavy top quarks as compared to stops, masses up to m T ≈ 850 GeV can be excluded from the Run 1 stop searches. Since the simplified-model results published by ATLAS and CMS do not extend to such high masses, we provide our own efficiency maps obtained with C heckMATE and M adA nalysis 5 for these searches. Finally, we also discuss how generic gluino/squark searches in multi-jet final states constrain heavy top partner production.

Relations between heavy-light meson and quark masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brambilla, N.; Komijani, J.; Kronfeld, A. S.; Vairo, A.; Tumqcd Collaboration

2018-02-01

The study of heavy-light meson masses should provide a way to determine renormalized quark masses and other properties of heavy-light mesons. In the context of lattice QCD, for example, it is possible to calculate hadronic quantities for arbitrary values of the quark masses. In this paper, we address two aspects relating heavy-light meson masses to the quark masses. First, we introduce a definition of the renormalized quark mass that is free of both scale dependence and renormalon ambiguities, and discuss its relation to more familiar definitions of the quark mass. We then show how this definition enters a merger of the descriptions of heavy-light masses in heavy-quark effective theory and in chiral perturbation theory (χ PT ). For practical implementations of this merger, we extend the one-loop χ PT corrections to lattice gauge theory with heavy-light mesons composed of staggered fermions for both quarks. Putting everything together, we obtain a practical formula to describe all-staggered heavy-light meson masses in terms of quark masses as well as some lattice artifacts related to staggered fermions. In a companion paper, we use this function to analyze lattice-QCD data and extract quark masses and some matrix elements defined in heavy-quark effective theory.

Relations between heavy-light meson and quark masses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brambilla, N.; Komijani, J.; Kronfeld, A. S.

Here, the study of heavy-light meson masses should provide a way to determine renormalized quark masses and other properties of heavy-light mesons. In the context of lattice QCD, for example, it is possible to calculate hadronic quantities for arbitrary values of the quark masses. In this paper, we address two aspects relating heavy-light meson masses to the quark masses. First, we introduce a definition of the renormalized quark mass that is free of both scale dependence and renormalon ambiguities, and discuss its relation to more familiar definitions of the quark mass. We then show how this definition enters a mergermore » of the descriptions of heavy-light masses in heavy-quark effective theory and in chiral perturbation theory (χPT). For practical implementations of this merger, we extend the one-loop χPT corrections to lattice gauge theory with heavy-light mesons composed of staggered fermions for both quarks. Putting everything together, we obtain a practical formula to describe all-staggered heavy-light meson masses in terms of quark masses as well as some lattice artifacts related to staggered fermions. In a companion paper, we use this function to analyze lattice-QCD data and extract quark masses and some matrix elements defined in heavy-quark effective theory.« less

Relations between heavy-light meson and quark masses

DOE PAGES

Brambilla, N.; Komijani, J.; Kronfeld, A. S.; ...

2018-02-07

Here, the study of heavy-light meson masses should provide a way to determine renormalized quark masses and other properties of heavy-light mesons. In the context of lattice QCD, for example, it is possible to calculate hadronic quantities for arbitrary values of the quark masses. In this paper, we address two aspects relating heavy-light meson masses to the quark masses. First, we introduce a definition of the renormalized quark mass that is free of both scale dependence and renormalon ambiguities, and discuss its relation to more familiar definitions of the quark mass. We then show how this definition enters a mergermore » of the descriptions of heavy-light masses in heavy-quark effective theory and in chiral perturbation theory (χPT). For practical implementations of this merger, we extend the one-loop χPT corrections to lattice gauge theory with heavy-light mesons composed of staggered fermions for both quarks. Putting everything together, we obtain a practical formula to describe all-staggered heavy-light meson masses in terms of quark masses as well as some lattice artifacts related to staggered fermions. In a companion paper, we use this function to analyze lattice-QCD data and extract quark masses and some matrix elements defined in heavy-quark effective theory.« less

Heavy fermions, quantum criticality, and unconventional superconductivity in filled skutterudites and related materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andraka, Bohdan

2015-05-14

The main goal of this program was to explore the possibility of novel states and behaviors in Pr-based system exhibiting quantum critical behavior, PrOs₄Sb₁₂. Upon small changes of external parameter, such as magnetic field, physical properties of PrOs₄Sb₁₂ are drastically altered from those corresponding to a superconductor, to heavy fermion, to field-induced ordered phase with primary quadrupolar order parameter. All these states are highly unconventional and not understood in terms of current theories thus offer an opportunity to expand our knowledge and understanding of condensed matter. At the same time, these novel states and behaviors are subjects to intense internationalmore » controversies. In particular, two superconducting phases with different transition temperatures were observed in some samples and not observed in others leading to speculations that sample defects might be partially responsible for these exotic behaviors. This work clearly established that crystal disorder is important consideration, but contrary to current consensus this disorder suppresses exotic behavior. Superconducting properties imply unconventional inhomogeneous state that emerges from unconventional homogeneous normal state. Comprehensive structural investigations demonstrated that upper superconducting transition is intrinsic, bulk, and unconventional. The high quality of in-house synthesized single crystals was indirectly confirmed by de Haas-van Alphen quantum oscillation measurements. These measurements, for the first time ever reported, spanned several different phases, offering unprecedented possibility of studying quantum oscillations across phase boundaries.« less

Mid-IR absorption sensing of heavy water using a silicon-on-sapphire waveguide.

PubMed

Singh, Neetesh; Casas-Bedoya, Alvaro; Hudson, Darren D; Read, Andrew; Mägi, Eric; Eggleton, Benjamin J

2016-12-15

We demonstrate a compact silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) strip waveguide sensor for mid-IR absorption spectroscopy. This device can be used for gas and liquid sensing, especially to detect chemically similar molecules and precisely characterize extremely absorptive liquids that are difficult to detect by conventional infrared transmission techniques. We reliably measure concentrations up to 0.25% of heavy water (D₂O) in a D₂O-H₂O mixture at its maximum absorption band at around 4 μm. This complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible SOS D₂O sensor is promising for applications such as measuring body fat content or detection of coolant leakage in nuclear reactors.

Singlet-triplet fermionic dark matter and LHC phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choubey, Sandhya; Khan, Sarif; Mitra, Manimala; Mondal, Subhadeep

2018-04-01

It is well known that for the pure standard model triplet fermionic WIMP-type dark matter (DM), the relic density is satisfied around 2 TeV. For such a heavy mass particle, the production cross-section at 13 TeV run of LHC will be very small. Extending the model further with a singlet fermion and a triplet scalar, DM relic density can be satisfied for even much lower masses. The lower mass DM can be copiously produced at LHC and hence the model can be tested at collider. For the present model we have studied the multi jet (≥ 2 j) + missing energy ([InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.]) signal and show that this can be detected in the near future of the LHC 13 TeV run. We also predict that the present model is testable by the earth based DM direct detection experiments like Xenon-1T and in future by Darwin.

Kondo lattice and antiferromagnetic behavior in quaternary CeTAl 4Si 2 (T = Rh, Ir) single crystals

DOE PAGES

Maurya, Arvind; Kulkarni, Ruta; Thamizhavel, Arumugam; ...

2016-02-26

Here, we have explored in detail the anisotropic magnetic properties of CeRhAl 4Si 2 and CeIrAl 4Si 2, which undergo two antiferromagnetic transitions, at T N1 = 12.6 and 15.5 K, followed by a second transition at T N2 = 9.4 and 13.8 K, respectively, with the [001]-axis as the relatively easy axis of magnetization. The electrical resistivity at ambient and applied pressure provides evidence of Kondo interaction in both compounds, further supported by a reduced value of the entropy associated with the magnetic ordering. The Sommerfeld coefficient γ is inferred to be 195.6 and 49.4 mJ/(mol K 2) formore » CeRhAl 4Si 2 and CeIrAl 4Si 2, respectively, classifying these materials as moderate heavy-fermion compounds. The crystal electric field energy levels are derived from the peak seen in the Schottky heat capacity. Furthermore, we have also performed electronic structure calculations by using the local spin density approximation + U [LSDA+U] approach, which provide physical insights on the observed magnetic behavior of these two compounds.« less

Two Higgs doublets with fourth-generation fermions: Models for TeV-scale compositeness

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soni A.; Bar-Shalom, S.; Nandi, S.

2011-09-21

We construct a class of two Higgs doublets models with a 4th sequential generation of fermions that may effectively accommodate the low-energy characteristics and phenomenology of a dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking scenario which is triggered by the condensates of the 4th family fermions. In particular, we single out the heavy quarks by coupling the heavier Higgs doublet ({Phi}{sub h}) which possesses a much larger VEV only to them while the lighter doublet ({Phi}{sub {ell}) couples only to the light fermions. We study the constraints on these models from precision electroweak data as well as from flavor data. We also discussmore » some distinct new features that have direct consequences on the production and decays of the 4th family quarks and leptons in high-energy colliders; in particular, the conventional search strategies for t{prime} and b{prime} may need to be significantly revised.« less

Quantum critical fluctuations in the heavy fermion compound Ce(Ni 0.935Pd 0.065) 2Ge 2

DOE PAGES

Wang, C. H.; Poudel, L.; Taylor, Alice E.; ...

2014-12-03

Electric resistivity, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, and inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed on a single crystal of the heavy fermion compound Ce(Ni 0.935Pd 0.065) 2Ge 2 in order to research the spin fluctuations near an antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum critical point (QCP). The resistivity and the specific heat coefficient for T ≤ 1 K exhibit the power law behavior expected for a 3D itinerant AF QCP (ρ(T) ~ T 3/2 and γ(T) ~ γ 0 - bT 1/2). However, for 2 ≤ T ≤ 10 K, the susceptibility and specific heat vary as log T and the resistivity varies linearlymore » with temperature. In addition, despite the fact that the resistivity and specific heat exhibit the non-Fermi liquid behavior expected at a QCP, the correlation length, correlation time, and staggered susceptibility of the spin fluctuations remain finite at low temperature. In conclusion, we suggest that these deviations from the divergent behavior expected for a QCP may result from alloy disorder.« less

High-resolution x-ray diffraction study of the heavy-fermion compound YbBiPt

DOE PAGES

Ueland, B. G.; Saunders, S. M.; Bud'ko, S. L.; ...

2015-11-30

In this study, YbBiPt is a heavy-fermion compound possessing significant short-range antiferromagnetic correlations below a temperature of T*=0.7K, fragile antiferromagnetic order below T N = 0.4K, a Kondo temperature of T K ≈ 1K, and crystalline-electric-field splitting on the order of E/k B = 1 – 10K. Whereas the compound has a face-centered-cubic lattice at ambient temperature, certain experimental data, particularly those from studies aimed at determining its crystalline-electric-field scheme, suggest that the lattice distorts at lower temperature. Here, we present results from high-resolution, high-energy x-ray diffraction experiments which show that, within our experimental resolution of ≈ 6 – 10more » × 10 –5 Å, no structural phase transition occurs between T = 1.5 and 50 K. In combination with results from dilatometry measurements, we further show that the compound's thermal expansion has a minimum at ≈ 18 K and a region of negative thermal expansion for 9 ≲ T ≲ 18 K. Despite diffraction patterns taken at 1.6 K which indicate that the lattice is face-centered cubic and that the Yb resides on a crystallographic site with cubic point symmetry, we demonstrate that the linear thermal expansion may be modeled using crystalline-electric-field level schemes appropriate for Yb 3+ residing on a site with either cubic or less than cubic point symmetry.« less

Geometrically frustrated magnetic structures of the heavy-fermion compound CePdAl studied by powder neutron diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dönni, A.; Ehlers, G.; Maletta, H.; Fischer, P.; Kitazawa, H.; Zolliker, M.

1996-12-01

The heavy-fermion compound CePdAl with ZrNiAl-type crystal structure (hexagonal space group 0953-8984/8/50/043/img8) was investigated by powder neutron diffraction. The triangular coordination symmetry of magnetic Ce atoms on site 3f gives rise to geometrical frustration. CePdAl orders below 0953-8984/8/50/043/img9 with an incommensurate antiferromagnetic propagation vector 0953-8984/8/50/043/img10, and a longitudinal sine-wave (LSW) modulated spin arrangement. Magnetically ordered moments at Ce(1) and Ce(3) coexist with frustrated disordered moments at Ce(2). The experimentally determined magnetic structure is in agreement with group theoretical symmetry analysis considerations, calculated by the program MODY, which confirm that for Ce(2) an ordered magnetic moment parallel to the magnetically easy c-axis is forbidden by symmetry. Further low-temperature experiments give evidence for a second magnetic phase transition in CePdAl between 0.6 and 1.3 K. Magnetic structures of CePdAl are compared with those of the isostructural compound TbNiAl, where a non-zero ordered magnetic moment for the geometrically frustrated Tb(2) atoms is allowed by symmetry.

Hybridization gap and dual nature of the heavy-fermion compound UPd 2Al 3 via quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Jaggi, N. K.; Mehio, O.; Dwyer, M.; ...

2017-04-17

We present results from point-contact spectroscopy of the antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion superconductor UPd 2Al 3 : Conductance spectra are taken from single crystals with two major surface orientations as a function of temperature and magnetic field and analyzed using a theory of cotunneling into an Anderson lattice. Spectroscopic signatures are clearly identified, including the distinct asymmetric double-peak structure arising from the opening of a hybridization gap when a coherent heavy-Fermi liquid is formed. Both the hybridization gap, found to be 7.2 ± 0.3 meV at 4 K, and the conductance enhancement above a flat background decrease upon increasing temperature. While themore » hybridization gap is extrapolated to remain finite up to ~28 K, close to the temperature around which the magnetic susceptibility displays a broad peak, the conductance enhancement vanishes at ~18 K, slightly above the antiferromagnetic transition temperature (T N ≈ 14 K) . This rapid decrease of the conductance enhancement is understood as a consequence of the junction drifting away from the ballistic regime due to increased scattering off magnons associated with the localized U 5 f electrons. This shows that while the hybridization gap opening is not directly associated with the antiferromagnetic ordering, its visibility in the conductance is greatly affected by the temperature-dependent magnetic excitations. Our findings are not only consistent with the 5 f dual-nature picture in the literature but also shed new light on the interplay between the itinerant and localized electrons in UPd 2Al 3 .« less

Hybridization gap and dual nature of the heavy-fermion compound UPd 2Al 3 via quasiparticle scattering spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jaggi, N. K.; Mehio, O.; Dwyer, M.

We present results from point-contact spectroscopy of the antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion superconductor UPd 2Al 3 : Conductance spectra are taken from single crystals with two major surface orientations as a function of temperature and magnetic field and analyzed using a theory of cotunneling into an Anderson lattice. Spectroscopic signatures are clearly identified, including the distinct asymmetric double-peak structure arising from the opening of a hybridization gap when a coherent heavy-Fermi liquid is formed. Both the hybridization gap, found to be 7.2 ± 0.3 meV at 4 K, and the conductance enhancement above a flat background decrease upon increasing temperature. While themore » hybridization gap is extrapolated to remain finite up to ~28 K, close to the temperature around which the magnetic susceptibility displays a broad peak, the conductance enhancement vanishes at ~18 K, slightly above the antiferromagnetic transition temperature (T N ≈ 14 K) . This rapid decrease of the conductance enhancement is understood as a consequence of the junction drifting away from the ballistic regime due to increased scattering off magnons associated with the localized U 5 f electrons. This shows that while the hybridization gap opening is not directly associated with the antiferromagnetic ordering, its visibility in the conductance is greatly affected by the temperature-dependent magnetic excitations. Our findings are not only consistent with the 5 f dual-nature picture in the literature but also shed new light on the interplay between the itinerant and localized electrons in UPd 2Al 3 .« less

Hierarchical fermions and detectable Z' from effective two-Higgs-triplet 3-3-1 model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barreto, E. R.; Dias, A. G.; Leite, J.; Nishi, C. C.; Oliveira, R. L. N.; Vieira, W. C.

2018-03-01

We develop a SU (3 )C⊗SU (3 )L⊗U (1 )X model where the number of fermion generations is fixed by cancellation of gauge anomalies, being a type of 3-3-1 model with new charged leptons. Similarly to the economical 3-3-1 models, symmetry breaking is achieved effectively with two scalar triplets so that the spectrum of scalar particles at the TeV scale contains just two C P even scalars, one of which is the recently discovered Higgs boson, plus a charged scalar. Such a scalar sector is simpler than the one in the Two Higgs Doublet Model, hence more attractive for phenomenological studies, and has no flavor changing neutral currents (FCNC) mediated by scalars except for the ones induced by the mixing of Standard Model (SM) fermions with heavy fermions. We identify a global residual symmetry of the model which guarantees mass degeneracies and some massless fermions whose masses need to be generated by the introduction of effective operators. The fermion masses so generated require less fine-tuning for most of the SM fermions and FCNC are naturally suppressed by the small mixing between the third family of quarks and the rest. The effective setting is justified by an ultraviolet completion of the model from which the effective operators emerge naturally. A detailed particle mass spectrum is presented, and an analysis of the Z' production at the LHC run II is performed to show that it could be easily detected by considering the invariant mass and transverse momentum distributions in the dimuon channel.

Lattice fermions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilczek, Frank

1987-01-01

A simple heuristic proof of the Nielsen-Ninomaya theorem is given. A method is proposed whereby the multiplication of fermion species on a lattice is reduced to the minimal doubling, in any dimension, with retention of appropriate chiral symmetries. Also, it is suggested that use of spatially thinned fermion fields is likely to be a useful and appropriate approximation in QCD - in any case, it is a self-checking one.

MSW-resonant fermion mixing during reheating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanai, Tsuneto; Tsujikawa, Shinji

2003-10-01

We study the dynamics of reheating in which an inflaton field couples two flavor fermions through Yukawa-couplings. When two fermions have a mixing term with a constant coupling, we show that the Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW)-type resonance emerges due to a time-dependent background in addition to the standard fermion creation via parametric resonance. This MSW resonance not only alters the number densities of fermions generated by a preheating process but also can lead to the larger energy transfer from the inflaton to fermions. Our mechanism can provide additional source terms for the creation of superheavy fermions which may be relevant for the leptogenesis scenario.

Kondo temperature and Heavy Fermion behavior in Yb1-xYxCuAl series of alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rojas, D. P.; Gandra, F. G.; Medina, A. N.; Fernández Barquín, L.; Gómez Sal, J. C.

2018-05-01

Results on x-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, specific heat and magnetization on the Yb1-xYxCuAl series of compounds are reported. The analysis of the x-ray data shows the increase of the unit cell volume with the Y dilution. The electrical resistivity shows an evolution from Kondo lattice regime for x ≤ 0.6 to single impurity behavior for x = 0.8 and 0.94. The electronic coefficient γ shows values of Heavy Fermion systems along the series for 0 ≤ x < 1 . On the other hand, dc magnetic susceptibility measurements show typical curves of intermediate valence systems with a maximum around 25 K. Below this maximum, the values of low temperature susceptibility (χ (0)) decrease with the increase of Y content. From the dependence of χ (0) and γ upon Y substitution, an increase of 12% of the Kondo temperature (TK) for x = 0.8 alloy respect to the reference YbCuAl (x = 0) is estimated. This is further supported by the evolution of the temperature of the maximum in the magnetic contribution of the specific heat. The overall results can be explained by the increase of the hybridization as consequence of negative pressure effects obtained by the chemical substitution of Yb by Y, thus leading to the increase of TK, in agreement with the Doniach's diagram.

Local Hamiltonian Monte Carlo study of the massive schwinger model, the decoupling of heavy flavours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ranft, J.

1983-12-01

The massive Schwinger model with two flavours is studied using the local hamiltonian lattice Monte Carlo method. Chiral symmetry breaking is studied using the fermion condensate as order parameter. For a small ratio of the two fermion masses, degeneracy of the two flavours is found. For a large ratio of the masses, the heavy flavour decouples and the light fermion behaves like in the one flavour Schwinger model. On leave from Sektion Physik, Karl-Marx-Universität, Leipzig, GDR.

Parity-violating hybridization in heavy Weyl semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Po-Yao; Coleman, Piers

2018-04-01

We introduce a simple model to describe the formation of heavy Weyl semimetals in noncentrosymmetric heavy fermion compounds under the influence of a parity-mixing, onsite hybridization. A key aspect of interaction-driven heavy Weyl semimetals is the development of surface Kondo breakdown, which is expected to give rise to a temperature-dependent reconfiguration of the Fermi arcs and the Weyl cyclotron orbits which connect them via the chiral bulk states. Our theory predicts a strong temperature-dependent transformation in the quantum oscillations at low temperatures. In addition to the effects of surface Kondo breakdown, the renormalization effects in heavy Weyl semimetals will appear in a variety of thermodynamic and transport measurements.

Charged fermions below 100 GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egana-Ugrinovic, Daniel; Low, Matthew; Ruderman, Joshua T.

2018-05-01

How light can a fermion be if it has unit electric charge? We revisit the lore that LEP robustly excludes charged fermions lighter than about 100 GeV. We review LEP chargino searches, and find them to exclude charged fermions lighter than 90 GeV, assuming a higgsino-like cross section. However, if the charged fermion couples to a new scalar, destructive interference among production channels can lower the LEP cross section by a factor of 3. In this case, we find that charged fermions as light as 75 GeV can evade LEP bounds, while remaining consistent with constraints from the LHC. As the LHC collects more data, charged fermions in the 75-100 GeV mass range serve as a target for future monojet and disappearing track searches.

Heavy-impurity resonance, hybridization, and phonon spectral functions in Fe 1-xM xSi, M=Ir,Os

DOE PAGES

Delaire, O.; Al-Qasir, Iyad I.; May, Andrew F.; ...

2015-03-31

The vibrational behavior of heavy substitutional impurities (M=Ir,Os) in Fe 1-xM xSi (x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.1) was investigated with a combination of inelastic neutron scattering (INS), transport measurements, and first-principles simulations. In this paper, our INS measurements on single-crystals mapped the four-dimensional dynamical structure factor, S(Q;E), for several compositions and temperatures. Our results show that both Ir and Os impurities lead to the formation of a weakly dispersive resonance vibrational mode, in the energy range of the acoustic phonon dispersions of the FeSi host. We also show that Ir doping, which introduces free carriers and increases electron-phonon coupling,more » leads to softened interatomic force-constants compared to doping with Os, which is isoelectronic to Fe. We analyze the phonon S(Q,E) from INS through a Green's function model incorporating the phonon self-energy based on first-principles density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Calculations of the quasiparticle spectral functions in the doped system reveal the hybridization between the resonance and the acoustic phonon modes. Finally, our results demonstrate a strong interaction of the host acoustic dispersions with the resonance mode, likely leading to the large observed suppression in lattice thermal conductivity.« less

Evidence for Coexistence of Bulk Superconductivity and Itinerant Antiferromagnetism in the Heavy Fermion System CeCo(In1−xCdx)5

PubMed Central

Howald, Ludovic; Stilp, Evelyn; de Réotier, Pierre Dalmas; Yaouanc, Alain; Raymond, Stéphane; Piamonteze, Cinthia; Lapertot, Gérard; Baines, Christopher; Keller, Hugo

2015-01-01

In the generic phase diagram of heavy fermion systems, tuning an external parameter such as hydrostatic or chemical pressure modifies the superconducting transition temperature. The superconducting phase forms a dome in the temperature—tuning parameter phase diagram, which is associated with a maximum of the superconducting pairing interaction. Proximity to antiferromagnetism suggests a relation between the disappearance of antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity. We combine muon spin rotation, neutron scattering, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy techniques to gain access to the magnetic and electronic structure of CeCo(In1−xCdx)5 at different time scales. Different magnetic structures are obtained that indicate a magnetic order of itinerant character, coexisting with bulk superconductivity. The suppression of the antiferromagnetic order appears to be driven by a modification of the bandwidth/carrier concentration, implying that the electronic structure and consequently the interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is strongly affected by hydrostatic and chemical pressure. PMID:26224422

Rooting issue for a lattice fermion formulation similar to staggered fermions but without taste mixing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adams, David H.

2008-05-15

To investigate the viability of the 4th root trick for the staggered fermion determinant in a simpler setting, we consider a 2-taste (flavor) lattice fermion formulation with no taste mixing but with exact taste-nonsinglet chiral symmetries analogous to the taste-nonsinglet U(1){sub A} symmetry of staggered fermions. Creutz's objections to the rooting trick apply just as much in this setting. To counter them we show that the formulation has robust would-be zero modes in topologically nontrivial gauge backgrounds, and that these manifest themselves in a viable way in the rooted fermion determinant and also in the disconnected piece of the pseudoscalarmore » meson propagator as required to solve the U(1) problem. Also, our rooted theory is heuristically seen to be in the right universality class for QCD if the same is true for an unrooted mixed fermion action theory.« less

Unconventional superconductivity in the strong-coupling limit for the heavy fermion system CeCoIn5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fasano, Y.; Szabó, P.; Kačmarčík, J.; Pribulová, Z.; Pedrazzini, P.; Samuely, P.; Correa, V. F.

2018-05-01

We present scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements of the local quasiparticles' excitation spectra of the heavy fermion CeCoIn5 between 440 mK and 3 K in samples with a bulk Tc = 2.25 K . The spectral shape of our low-temperature tunneling data, quite textbook nodal- Δ conductance, allow us to confidently fit the spectra with a d-wave density of states considering also a shortening of quasiparticles' lifetime term Γ. The Δ (0) value obtained from the fits yields a BCS ratio 2 Δ /kTc = 7.73 suggesting that CeCoIn5 is an unconventional superconductor in the strong coupling limit. The fits also reveal that the height of coherence peaks in CeCoIn5 is reduced with respect to a pure BCS spectra and therefore the coupling of quasiparticles with spin excitations should play a relevant role. The tunneling conductance shows a depletion at energies smaller than Δ for temperatures larger than the bulk Tc, giving further support to the existence of a pseudogap phase that in our samples span up to T* ∼ 1.2Tc . The phenomenological scaling of the pseudogap temperature observed in various families of cuprates, 2 Δ /kT* ∼ 4.3 , is not fulfilled in our measurements. This suggests that in CeCoIn5 the strong magnetic fluctuations might conspire to close the local superconducting gap at a smaller pesudogap temperature-scale than in cuprates.

Majorana-Based Fermionic Quantum Computation.

PubMed

O'Brien, T E; Rożek, P; Akhmerov, A R

2018-06-01

Because Majorana zero modes store quantum information nonlocally, they are protected from noise, and have been proposed as a building block for a quantum computer. We show how to use the same protection from noise to implement universal fermionic quantum computation. Our architecture requires only two Majorana modes to encode a fermionic quantum degree of freedom, compared to alternative implementations which require a minimum of four Majorana modes for a spin quantum degree of freedom. The fermionic degrees of freedom support both unitary coupled cluster variational quantum eigensolver and quantum phase estimation algorithms, proposed for quantum chemistry simulations. Because we avoid the Jordan-Wigner transformation, our scheme has a lower overhead for implementing both of these algorithms, allowing for simulation of the Trotterized Hubbard Hamiltonian in O(1) time per unitary step. We finally demonstrate magic state distillation in our fermionic architecture, giving a universal set of topologically protected fermionic quantum gates.

Majorana-Based Fermionic Quantum Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, T. E.; RoŻek, P.; Akhmerov, A. R.

2018-06-01

Because Majorana zero modes store quantum information nonlocally, they are protected from noise, and have been proposed as a building block for a quantum computer. We show how to use the same protection from noise to implement universal fermionic quantum computation. Our architecture requires only two Majorana modes to encode a fermionic quantum degree of freedom, compared to alternative implementations which require a minimum of four Majorana modes for a spin quantum degree of freedom. The fermionic degrees of freedom support both unitary coupled cluster variational quantum eigensolver and quantum phase estimation algorithms, proposed for quantum chemistry simulations. Because we avoid the Jordan-Wigner transformation, our scheme has a lower overhead for implementing both of these algorithms, allowing for simulation of the Trotterized Hubbard Hamiltonian in O (1 ) time per unitary step. We finally demonstrate magic state distillation in our fermionic architecture, giving a universal set of topologically protected fermionic quantum gates.

Bootstrapping 3D fermions

DOE PAGES

Iliesiu, Luca; Kos, Filip; Poland, David; ...

2016-03-17

We study the conformal bootstrap for a 4-point function of fermions in 3D. We first introduce an embedding formalism for 3D spinors and compute the conformal blocks appearing in fermion 4-point functions. Using these results, we find general bounds on the dimensions of operators appearing in the ψ × ψ OPE, and also on the central charge C T. We observe features in our bounds that coincide with scaling dimensions in the GrossNeveu models at large N. Finally, we also speculate that other features could coincide with a fermionic CFT containing no relevant scalar operators.

Fermion-induced quantum critical points.

PubMed

Li, Zi-Xiang; Jiang, Yi-Fan; Jian, Shao-Kai; Yao, Hong

2017-08-22

A unified theory of quantum critical points beyond the conventional Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm remains unknown. According to Landau cubic criterion, phase transitions should be first-order when cubic terms of order parameters are allowed by symmetry in the Landau-Ginzburg free energy. Here, from renormalization group analysis, we show that second-order quantum phase transitions can occur at such putatively first-order transitions in interacting two-dimensional Dirac semimetals. As such type of Landau-forbidden quantum critical points are induced by gapless fermions, we call them fermion-induced quantum critical points. We further introduce a microscopic model of SU(N) fermions on the honeycomb lattice featuring a transition between Dirac semimetals and Kekule valence bond solids. Remarkably, our large-scale sign-problem-free Majorana quantum Monte Carlo simulations show convincing evidences of a fermion-induced quantum critical points for N = 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, consistent with the renormalization group analysis. We finally discuss possible experimental realizations of the fermion-induced quantum critical points in graphene and graphene-like materials.Quantum phase transitions are governed by Landau-Ginzburg theory and the exceptions are rare. Here, Li et al. propose a type of Landau-forbidden quantum critical points induced by gapless fermions in two-dimensional Dirac semimetals.

Phase space methods for Majorana fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rushin Joseph, Ria; Rosales-Zárate, Laura E. C.; Drummond, Peter D.

2018-06-01

Fermionic phase space representations are a promising method for studying correlated fermion systems. The fermionic Q-function and P-function have been defined using Gaussian operators of fermion annihilation and creation operators. The resulting phase-space of covariance matrices belongs to the symmetry class D, one of the non-standard symmetry classes. This was originally proposed to study mesoscopic normal-metal-superconducting hybrid structures, which is the type of structure that has led to recent experimental observations of Majorana fermions. Under a unitary transformation, it is possible to express these Gaussian operators using real anti-symmetric matrices and Majorana operators, which are much simpler mathematical objects. We derive differential identities involving Majorana fermion operators and an antisymmetric matrix which are relevant to the derivation of the corresponding Fokker–Planck equations on symmetric space. These enable stochastic simulations either in real or imaginary time. This formalism has direct relevance to the study of fermionic systems in which there are Majorana type excitations, and is an alternative to using expansions involving conventional Fermi operators. The approach is illustrated by showing how a linear coupled Hamiltonian as used to study topological excitations can be transformed to Fokker–Planck and stochastic equation form, including dissipation through particle losses.

Dynamic origins of fermionic D -terms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, Jonathan; Schweitzer, Peter

2018-03-01

The D -term is defined through matrix elements of the energy-momentum tensor, similarly to mass and spin, yet this important particle property is experimentally not known any fermion. In this work we show that the D -term of a spin 1/2 fermion is of dynamical origin: it vanishes for a free fermion. This is in pronounced contrast to the bosonic case where already a free spin-0 boson has a non-zero intrinsic D -term. We illustrate in two simple models how interactions generate the D -term of a fermion with an internal structure, the nucleon. All known matter is composed of elementary fermions. This indicates the importance to study this interesting particle property in more detail, which will provide novel insights especially on the structure of the nucleon.

Fermion emission from a Julia-Zee dyon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blaer, A.S.; Christ, N.H.; Tang, J.

1982-04-15

A relationship is obtained between the S matrix for the charge-exchange scattering of a fermion by a Julia-Zee dyon and the flux of fermions emitted by the dyon when the mass of the fermions is sufficiently small. In the limit of a pointlike dyon, the required S-matrix elements are obtained in closed form and the corresponding fermion flux is computed explicitly.

Fermion mass without symmetry breaking

DOE PAGES

Catterall, Simon

2016-01-20

We examine a model of reduced staggered fermions in three dimensions interacting through an SO (4) invariant four fermion interaction. The model is similar to that considered in a recent paper by Ayyer and Chandrasekharan. We present theoretical arguments and numerical evidence which support the idea that the system develops a mass gap for sufficiently strong four fermi coupling without producing a symmetry breaking fermion bilinear condensate. As a result, massless and massive phases appear to be separated by a continuous phase transition.

Pressure and temperature dependence of the Ce valence and c -f hybridization gap in Ce T2In5(T =Co ,Rh ,Ir ) heavy-fermion superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaoka, H.; Yamamoto, Y.; Schwier, E. F.; Honda, F.; Zekko, Y.; Ohta, Y.; Lin, J.-F.; Nakatake, M.; Iwasawa, H.; Arita, M.; Shimada, K.; Hiraoka, N.; Ishii, H.; Tsuei, K.-D.; Mizuki, J.

2015-12-01

Pressure- and temperature-induced changes in the Ce valence and c -f hybridization of the Ce115 superconductors have been studied systematically. Resonant x-ray-emission spectroscopy indicated that the increase of the Ce valence with pressure was significant for CeCoIn5, and moderate for CeIr (In0.925Cd0.075)5 . We found no abrupt change of the Ce valence in the Kondo regime for CeIr (In0.925Cd0.075)5 , which suggests that valence fluctuations are unlikely to mediate the superconductivity in this material. X-ray-diffraction results were consistent with the pressure-induced change in the Ce valence. High-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a temperature-dependent reduction of the spectral intensity at the Fermi level, indicating enhanced c -f hybridization on cooling.

Effects of Fe3O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles on the Thermoelectric Properties of Heavy-Fermion YbAl3 Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Danqi; Mu, Xin; Zhou, Hongyu; Li, Cuncheng; Ma, Shifang; Ji, Pengxia; Hou, Weikang; Wei, Ping; Zhu, Wanting; Nie, Xiaolei; Zhao, Wenyu

2018-06-01

The magnetic nanocomposite thermoelectric materials xFe3O4/YbAl3 ( x = 0%, 0.3%, 0.6%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) have been prepared by the combination of ultrasonic dispersion and spark plasma sintering process. The nanocomposites retain good chemical stability in the presence of the second-phase Fe3O4. The second-phase Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles are distributed on the interfaces and boundaries of the matrix. The x dependences of thermoelectric properties indicate that Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles can significantly decrease the thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. The magnetic nanoparticles embedded in YbAl3 matrix are not only the phonon scattering centers of nanostructures, but also the electron scattering centers due to the Kondo-like effect between the magnetic moment of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and the spin of electrons. The ZT values of the composites are first increased in the x range 0%-1.0% and then decreased when x > 1.0%. The highest ZT value reaches 0.3 at 300 K for the nanocomposite with x = 1.0%. Our work demonstrates that the Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles can greatly increase the thermoelectric performance of heavy-fermion YbAl3 thermoelectric materials through simultaneously scattering electrons and phonons.

Studies of Nonconventional Superfluids: Ultrasound Propagation in HELIUM-3-BORON and the Microwave Surface Impedance of the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor Uranium PLATINUM(3)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zuyu

1990-06-01

Two nonconventional superfluids, superfluid ^3He-B and the heavy fermion superconductor UPt_3 have been studied using different techniques: (1) A study of ^3He -B was performed in an acoustic sound cell with a path length of 381mum using the single-ended, c.w., acoustic impedance technique. The fundamental frequency of the x-cut quartz transducer employed in the experiments was 12.80 MHz. The following studies were performed: (a) A systematic measurement was made on the pair-breaking edge in zero magnetic field with ultrasonic frequencies of 64.3 MHz, 90.1 MHz, 141.6 MHz and 167.4 MHz, in the pressure range from 3 bar to 28 bar. The results of our measurements indirectly support the temperature scale of Greywall and the weak coupling plus (WCP) model of Rainer and Serene for the gap function. The pair-breaking edge was also measured in magnetic fields up to 1.36 kG perpendicular to the sound propagation direction and the predicted shift of the effective pair-breaking threshold (from 2 Delta(T) in zero field) by Omega = {gamma Hover 1+{1 over3}F_sp{o}{a}(2+Y) }(the renormalized Larmor frequency) has been observed. (b) The (imaginary) squashing mode was excited with sound frequencies of 141.6 MHz and 115.8 MHz. A doublet splitting (of about 0.3 MHz) of this mode was observed. This doublet splitting was found to be strongly pressure and frequency dependent, but independent of the magnetic field (at the low fields studied). Possible causes of this splitting include superfluid flow induced texture effects and finite wavevector (dispersion) effects. (c) Structure was observed with a sound frequency of 64.3 MHz in the vicinity of 2Delta(T) in a magnetic field of about 580 Gauss which is thought to be J_{z} = -1 component of the J = 1^- collective mode. (2) A surface impedance study of heavy Fermion superconductor UPt_3 was performed with an X-band microwave spectrometer (f ~eq 11.42 GHz) integrated with an Oxford 400 TLE dilution refrigerator so as to have top

Fermion-number violation in regularizations that preserve fermion-number symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golterman, Maarten; Shamir, Yigal

2003-01-01

There exist both continuum and lattice regularizations of gauge theories with fermions which preserve chiral U(1) invariance (“fermion number”). Such regularizations necessarily break gauge invariance but, in a covariant gauge, one recovers gauge invariance to all orders in perturbation theory by including suitable counterterms. At the nonperturbative level, an apparent conflict then arises between the chiral U(1) symmetry of the regularized theory and the existence of ’t Hooft vertices in the renormalized theory. The only possible resolution of the paradox is that the chiral U(1) symmetry is broken spontaneously in the enlarged Hilbert space of the covariantly gauge-fixed theory. The corresponding Goldstone pole is unphysical. The theory must therefore be defined by introducing a small fermion-mass term that breaks explicitly the chiral U(1) invariance and is sent to zero after the infinite-volume limit has been taken. Using this careful definition (and a lattice regularization) for the calculation of correlation functions in the one-instanton sector, we show that the ’t Hooft vertices are recovered as expected.

Impact of heavy sterile neutrinos on the triple Higgs coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baglio, J.; Weiland, C.

2017-07-01

New physics beyond the Standard Model is required to give mass to the light neutrinos. One of the simplest ideas is to introduce new heavy, gauge singlet fermions that play the role of right-handed neutrinos in a seesaw mechanism. They could have large Yukawa couplings to the Higgs boson, affecting the Higgs couplings and in particular the triple Higgs coupling $\\lambda_{HHH}^{}$, the measure of which is one of the major goals of the LHC and of future colliders. We present a study of the impact of these heavy neutrinos on $\\lambda_{HHH}^{}$ at the one-loop level, first in a simplified 3+1 model with one heavy Dirac neutrino and then in the inverse seesaw model. Taking into account all possible experimental constraints, we find that sizeable deviations of the order of 35% are possible, large enough to be detected at future colliders, making the triple Higgs coupling a new, viable observable to constrain neutrino mass models. The effects are generic and are expected in any new physics model including TeV-scale fermions with large Yukawa couplings to the Higgs boson, such as those using the neutrino portal.

Fermion systems in discrete space-time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finster, Felix

2007-05-01

Fermion systems in discrete space-time are introduced as a model for physics on the Planck scale. We set up a variational principle which describes a non-local interaction of all fermions. This variational principle is symmetric under permutations of the discrete space-time points. We explain how for minimizers of the variational principle, the fermions spontaneously break this permutation symmetry and induce on space-time a discrete causal structure.

Observation of two-orbital spin-exchange interactions with ultracold SU(N)-symmetric fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scazza, F.; Hofrichter, C.; Höfer, M.; de Groot, P. C.; Bloch, I.; Fölling, S.

2014-10-01

Spin-exchanging interactions govern the properties of strongly correlated electron systems such as many magnetic materials. When orbital degrees of freedom are present, spin exchange between different orbitals often dominates, leading to the Kondo effect, heavy fermion behaviour or magnetic ordering. Ultracold ytterbium or alkaline-earth ensembles have attracted much recent interest as model systems for these effects, with two (meta-) stable electronic configurations representing independent orbitals. We report the observation of spin-exchanging contact interactions in a two-orbital SU(N)-symmetric quantum gas realized with fermionic 173Yb. We find strong inter-orbital spin exchange by spectroscopic characterization of all interaction channels and demonstrate SU(N = 6) symmetry within our measurement precision. The spin-exchange process is also directly observed through the dynamic equilibration of spin imbalances between ensembles in separate orbitals. The realization of an SU(N)-symmetric two-orbital Hubbard Hamiltonian opens the route to quantum simulations with extended symmetries and with orbital magnetic interactions, such as the Kondo lattice model.

Quantum Gas Microscope for Fermionic Atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okan, Melih; Cheuk, Lawrence; Nichols, Matthew; Lawrence, Katherine; Zhang, Hao; Zwierlein, Martin

2016-05-01

Strongly interacting fermions define the properties of complex matter throughout nature, from atomic nuclei and modern solid state materials to neutron stars. Ultracold atomic Fermi gases have emerged as a pristine platform for the study of many-fermion systems. In this poster we demonstrate the realization of a quantum gas microscope for fermionic 40 K atoms trapped in an optical lattice and the recent experiments which allows one to probe strongly correlated fermions at the single atom level. We combine 3D Raman sideband cooling with high- resolution optics to simultaneously cool and image individual atoms with single lattice site resolution at a detection fidelity above 95%. The imaging process leaves the atoms predominantly in the 3D motional ground state of their respective lattice sites, inviting the implementation of a Maxwell's demon to assemble low-entropy many-body states. Single-site resolved imaging of fermions enables the direct observation of magnetic order, time resolved measurements of the spread of particle correlations, and the detection of many-fermion entanglement. NSF, AFOSR-PECASE, AFOSR-MURI on Exotic Phases of Matter, ARO-MURI on Atomtronics, ONR, a Grant from the Army Research Office with funding from the DARPA OLE program, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Magnetic Majorana Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moessner, Roderich

Condensed matter systems provide emergent mini-universes in which quasiparticles may exist which do not correspond to any experimentally detected elementary particle. Topological quantum materials have been particularly productive in this regard, with the present search focussing on Majorana fermions, known theoretically already for decades. Here, we discuss manifestations of magnetic Majorana fermions in the Kitaev model. We place particular emphasis on their fate when perturbations, such as Heisenberg terms, are added to the ideal model system, and address experimental signatures of their vestiges in phases adjacent to the spin liquid.

Phenomenology of fermion production during axion inflation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adshead, Peter; Pearce, Lauren; Peloso, Marco; Roberts, Michael A.; Sorbo, Lorenzo

2018-06-01

We study the production of fermions through a derivative coupling with a pseudoscalar inflaton and the effects of the produced fermions on the scalar primordial perturbations. We present analytic results for the modification of the scalar power spectrum due to the produced fermions, and we estimate the amplitude of the non-Gaussianities in the equilateral regime. Remarkably, we find a regime where the effect of the fermions gives the dominant contribution to the scalar spectrum while the amplitude of the bispectrum is small and in agreement with observation. We also note the existence of a regime in which the backreaction of the fermions on the evolution of the zero-mode of the inflaton can lead to inflation even if the potential of the inflaton is steep and does not satisfy the slow-roll conditions.

Fermionic topological quantum states as tensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wille, C.; Buerschaper, O.; Eisert, J.

2017-06-01

Tensor network states, and in particular projected entangled pair states, play an important role in the description of strongly correlated quantum lattice systems. They do not only serve as variational states in numerical simulation methods, but also provide a framework for classifying phases of quantum matter and capture notions of topological order in a stringent and rigorous language. The rapid development in this field for spin models and bosonic systems has not yet been mirrored by an analogous development for fermionic models. In this work, we introduce a tensor network formalism capable of capturing notions of topological order for quantum systems with fermionic components. At the heart of the formalism are axioms of fermionic matrix-product operator injectivity, stable under concatenation. Building upon that, we formulate a Grassmann number tensor network ansatz for the ground state of fermionic twisted quantum double models. A specific focus is put on the paradigmatic example of the fermionic toric code. This work shows that the program of describing topologically ordered systems using tensor networks carries over to fermionic models.

Fermionic Schwinger effect and induced current in de Sitter space

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayashinaka, Takahiro; Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo,Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033; Fujita, Tomohiro

We explore Schwinger effect of spin 1/2 charged particles with static electric field in 1+3 dimensional de Sitter spacetime. We analytically calculate the vacuum expectation value of the spinor current which is induced by the produced particles in the electric field. The renormalization is performed with the adiabatic subtraction scheme. We find that the current becomes negative, namely it flows in the direction opposite to the electric field, if the electric field is weaker than a certain threshold value depending on the fermion mass, which is also known to happen in the case of scalar charged particles in 1+3 demore » Sitter spacetime. Contrary to the scalar case, however, the IR hyperconductivity is absent in the spinor case.« less

Spin fluctations and heavy fermions in the Kondo lattice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khaliullin, G.G.

1994-09-01

This paper studies the spectrum of the spin and electronic excitations of the Kondo lattice at low temperatures. To avoid unphysical states, the Mattis {open_quotes}drone{close_quotes}-fermion representation for localized spins is employed. First, the known Fermi liquid properties of a single impurity are examined. The behavior of the correlator between a localized spin and the electron spin density at large distances shows that the effective interaction between electrons on the Fermi level and low-energy localized spin fluctuations scales as {rho}{sup {minus}1}, where {rho} is the band-state density. This fact is developed into a renormalization of the band spectrum in a periodicmore » lattice. If the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between localized spins is much smaller than the Kondo fluctuation frequency {omega}{sub k}, the temperature of the crossover to the single-parameter Fermi liquid mode is determined by {omega}{sub k}. When the RKKY interaction becomes of order {omega}{sub k}, there is a new scale {omega}{sub sf}, the energy of the (antiferromagnetic) paramagnon mode, with {omega}{sub sf}{much_lt}{omega}{sub k}. Here the coherent Fermi liquid regime is realized only below a temperature T{sub coh} of order {omega}{sub sf}, while above T{sub coh} quasiparticle damping exhibits a linear temperature dependence. Finally, the nuclear-spin relaxation rate is calculated. 42 refs.« less

Fermion Superfluidity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strecker, Kevin; Truscott, Andrew; Partridge, Guthrie; Chen, Ying-Cheng

2003-01-01

Dual evaporation gives 50 million fermions at T = 0.1 T(sub F). Demonstrated suppression of interactions by coherent superposition - applicable to atomic clocks. Looking for evidence of Cooper pairing and superfluidity.

SU(3) sextet model with Wilson fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Martin; Pica, Claudio

2018-03-01

We present our final results for the SU(3) sextet model with the non-improved Wilson fermion discretization. We find evidence for several phases of the lattice model, including a bulk phase with broken chiral symmetry. We study the transition between the bulk and weak coupling phase which corresponds to a significant change in the qualitative behavior of spectral and scale setting observables. In particular the t0 and w0 observables seem to diverge in the chiral limit in the weak coupling phase. We then focus on the study of spectral observables in the chiral limit in the weak coupling phase at infinite volume. We consider the masses and decay constants for the pseudoscalar and vector mesons, the mass of the axial vector meson and the spin-1/2 baryon as a function of the quark mass, while controlling finite volume effects. We then test our data against both the IR conformal and the chirally broken hypotheses. Preprint: CP3-Origins-2017-49 DNRF90

Ghost free systems with coexisting bosons and fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Rampei; Sakakihara, Yuki; Yamaguchi, Masahide

2017-08-01

We study the coexistence system of both bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom. Even if a Lagrangian does not include higher derivatives, fermionic ghosts exist. For a Lagrangian with up to first derivatives, we find the fermionic ghost free condition in Hamiltonian analysis, which is found to be the same as requiring that the equations of motion of fermions be first order in Lagrangian formulation. When fermionic degrees of freedom are present, the uniqueness of time evolution is not guaranteed a priori because of the Grassmann property. We confirm that the additional condition, which is introduced to close Hamiltonian analysis, also ensures the uniqueness of the time evolution of the system.

Strong Field Quenching of the Quasiparticle Effective Mass in Heavy Fermion Compound YbCo2Zn20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masahiro Ohya,; Masaki Matsushita,; Shingo Yoshiuchi,; Tetsuya Takeuchi,; Fuminori Honda,; Rikio Settai,; Toshiki Tanaka,; Yasunori Kubo,; Yoshichika Ōnuki,

2010-08-01

We found a metamagnetic like anomaly at Hm≃ 5 kOe in a heavy fermion compound YbCo2Zn20 below the characteristic temperature Tχ_{max}=0.32 K where the ac-susceptibility shows a broad peak, suggesting that an electronic state with a very low Kondo temperature is realized. Interestingly, the metamagnetic like behavior was observed as two peaks at 4.0 and 7.5 kOe at 95 mK in the magnetic field dependence of the electronic specific heat C/T. The extremely large values of the electronic specific heat coefficient γ≃ 8000 mJ/(K2\\cdotmol) and A=160 μΩ\\cdotcm/K2 in the electrical resistivity ρ=ρ0+AT2 at H=0 kOe are most likely due to the very low Kondo temperature. The \\sqrt{A} value was, however, found to be strongly reduced from \\sqrt{A}=12.6 (μΩ\\cdotcm/K2)1/2 at 0 kOe to 0.145 (μΩ\\cdotcm/K2)1/2 at 150 kOe. Therefore, we considered that the corresponding cyclotron effective mass mc*, which was determined from the temperature dependence of the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) amplitude, is also reduced with increasing magnetic field and is in fact not large, ranging from 2 to 9m0 at 117 kOe. From the field dependence of \\sqrt{A} and mc*, we estimated the cyclotron effective mass at 0 kOe to be 100--500m0, revealing the largest cyclotron mass as far as we know.

Low Temperature Magnetometry Measurements of the Heavy Fermion Superconductor Nd1-x Cex CoIn5 with x = 0.98, 0.95, and 0.90

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storr, Kevin; Purcell, Kenneth; Rasco, Torrance; Schwartz, Sarah; Petrovic, Cedomir

2014-03-01

The Nd1-xCexCoIn5 alloys evolve from local moment magnetism x = 0 to heavy fermion superconductivity x = 1, as the Nd substitution alters the level of 4f-conduction electron coupling. Superconductivity has been shown to exist in Nd concentrations between x = 0 and x = 0.22. We report the temperature and angular dependence of the critical field of the superconducting state of the x = 0.98, 0.95, and 0.90 doping levels at temperatures ranging from 20 - 500 mK, investigating the evolution of the phase diagram for different concentrations of Nd at these previously unexplored low temperatures. No evidence of a low temperature mixed superconducting and magnetic mixed state was observed such that as that seen in CeCoIn5. The suppression of the critical field is more dramatic than the application of pressure and was observed to be rather anisotropic in line with the higher temperature measurements. Department of Defense ARO W911NF1110155.

Fermionic influence on inflationary fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyanovsky, Daniel

2016-04-01

Motivated by apparent persistent large scale anomalies in the cosmic microwave background we study the influence of fermionic degrees of freedom on the dynamics of inflaton fluctuations as a possible source of violations of (nearly) scale invariance on cosmological scales. We obtain the nonequilibrium effective action of an inflaton-like scalar field with Yukawa interactions (YD ,M) to light fermionic degrees of freedom both for Dirac and Majorana fields in de Sitter space-time. The effective action leads to Langevin equations of motion for the fluctuations of the inflaton-like field, with self-energy corrections and a stochastic Gaussian noise. We solve the Langevin equation in the super-Hubble limit implementing a dynamical renormalization group resummation. For a nearly massless inflaton its power spectrum of super-Hubble fluctuations is enhanced, P (k ;η )=(H/2 π )2eγt[-k η ] with γt[-k η ]=1/6 π2 [∑i =1 NDYi,D 2+2 ∑j =1 NMYj,M 2]{ln2[-k η ]-2 ln [-k η ]ln [-k η0]} for ND Dirac and NM Majorana fermions, and η0 is the renormalization scale at which the inflaton mass vanishes. The full power spectrum is shown to be renormalization group invariant. These corrections to the super-Hubble power spectrum entail a violation of scale invariance as a consequence of the coupling to the fermionic fields. The effective action is argued to be exact in the limit of a large number of fermionic fields. A cancellation between the enhancement from fermionic degrees of freedom and suppression from light scalar degrees of freedom conformally coupled to gravity suggests the possibility of a finely tuned supersymmetry among these fields.

Superalgebra and fermion-boson symmetry

PubMed Central

Miyazawa, Hironari

2010-01-01

Fermions and bosons are quite different kinds of particles, but it is possible to unify them in a supermultiplet, by introducing a new mathematical scheme called superalgebra. In this article we discuss the development of the concept of symmetry, starting from the rotational symmetry and finally arriving at this fermion-boson (FB) symmetry. PMID:20228617

Solution of the sign problem in the Potts model at fixed fermion number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandru, Andrei; Bergner, Georg; Schaich, David; Wenger, Urs

2018-06-01

We consider the heavy-dense limit of QCD at finite fermion density in the canonical formulation and approximate it by a three-state Potts model. In the strong-coupling limit, the model is free of the sign problem. Away from the strong coupling, the sign problem is solved by employing a cluster algorithm which allows to average each cluster over the Z (3 ) sectors. Improved estimators for physical quantities can be constructed by taking into account the triality of the clusters, that is, their transformation properties with respect to Z (3 ) transformations.

Dynamics of heavy carriers in the ferromagnetic superconductor UGe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storchak, V. G.; Brewer, J. H.; Eshchenko, D. G.; Mengyan, P. W.; Parfenov, O. E.; Tokmachev, A. M.

2018-04-01

Superconductivity and ferromagnetism in a number of uranium-based materials come from the same f-electrons with a relatively large effective mass, suggesting the presence of a band of heavy quasiparticles, whose nature is still a mystery. Here, UGe2 dynamics in both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases is studied employing high-field μ +SR spectroscopy. The spectra exhibit a doublet structure characteristic to formation of subnanometer-sized magnetic polarons. This model is thoroughly explored here and correlated with the unconventional physics of UGe2. The heavy-fermion behaviour is ascribed to magnetic polarons; when coherent they form a narrow band, thus reconciling heavy carriers with superconductivity and itinerant ferromagnetism.

Anomalous frequency and temperature-dependent scattering and Hund's coupling in the almost quantum critical heavy-fermion system CeFe2Ge2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bossé, G.; Pan, LiDong; Li, Yize S.; Greene, L. H.; Eckstein, J.; Armitage, N. P.

2016-02-01

We present THz range optical conductivity data of a thin film of the near quantum critical heavy-fermion compound CeFe2Ge2 . Our complex conductivity measurements find a deviation from conventional Drude-like transport in a temperature range previously reported to exhibit unconventional behavior. We calculate the frequency-dependent effective mass and scattering rate using an extended Drude model analysis. We find the inelastic scattering rate can be described by a temperature-dependent power law ωn (T ), where n (T ) approaches ˜1.0 ±0.2 at 1.5 K. This is compared to the ρ ˜T1.5 behavior claimed in dc resistivity data and the ρ ˜T2 expected from Fermi-liquid theory. In addition to a low-temperature mass renormalization, we find an anomalous mass renormalization that persists to high temperature. We attribute this to a Hund's coupling in the Fe states in a manner similar to that recently proposed in the ferropnictides. CeFe2Ge2 appears to be a very interesting system where one may study the interplay between the usual 4 f lattice Kondo effect and this Hund's enhanced Kondo effect in the 3 d states.

New vector-like fermions and flavor physics

DOE PAGES

Ishiwata, Koji; Ligeti, Zoltan; Wise, Mark B.

2015-10-06

We study renormalizable extensions of the standard model that contain vector-like fermions in a (single) complex representation of the standard model gauge group. There are 11 models where the vector-like fermions Yukawa couple to the standard model fermions via the Higgs field. These models do not introduce additional fine-tunings. They can lead to, and are constrained by, a number of different flavor-changing processes involving leptons and quarks, as well as direct searches. An interesting feature of the models with strongly interacting vector-like fermions is that constraints from neutral meson mixings (apart from CP violation inmore » $$ {K}^0-{\\overline{K}}^0 $$ mixing) are not sensitive to higher scales than other flavor-changing neutral-current processes. We identify order 1/(4πM) 2 (where M is the vector-like fermion mass) one-loop contributions to the coefficients of the four-quark operators for meson mixing, that are not suppressed by standard model quark masses and/or mixing angles.« less

Non-Abelian statistics of vortices with non-Abelian Dirac fermions.

PubMed

Yasui, Shigehiro; Hirono, Yuji; Itakura, Kazunori; Nitta, Muneto

2013-05-01

We extend our previous analysis on the exchange statistics of vortices having a single Dirac fermion trapped in each core to the case where vortices trap two Dirac fermions with U(2) symmetry. Such a system of vortices with non-Abelian Dirac fermions appears in color superconductors at extremely high densities and in supersymmetric QCD. We show that the exchange of two vortices having doublet Dirac fermions in each core is expressed by non-Abelian representations of a braid group, which is explicitly verified in the matrix representation of the exchange operators when the number of vortices is up to four. We find that the result contains the matrices previously obtained for the vortices with a single Dirac fermion in each core as a special case. The whole braid group does not immediately imply non-Abelian statistics of identical particles because it also contains exchanges between vortices with different numbers of Dirac fermions. However, we find that it does contain, as its subgroup, genuine non-Abelian statistics for the exchange of the identical particles, that is, vortices with the same number of Dirac fermions. This result is surprising compared with conventional understanding because all Dirac fermions are defined locally at each vortex, unlike the case of Majorana fermions for which Dirac fermions are defined nonlocally by Majorana fermions located at two spatially separated vortices.

Fermion localization on a split brane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chumbes, A. E. R.; Vasquez, A. E. O.; Hott, M. B.

2011-05-15

In this work we analyze the localization of fermions on a brane embedded in five-dimensional, warped and nonwarped, space-time. In both cases we use the same nonlinear theoretical model with a nonpolynomial potential featuring a self-interacting scalar field whose minimum energy solution is a soliton (a kink) which can be continuously deformed into a two-kink. Thus a single brane splits into two branes. The behavior of spin 1/2 fermions wave functions on the split brane depends on the coupling of fermions to the scalar field and on the geometry of the space-time.

Superconductivity from a non-Fermi-liquid metal: Kondo fluctuation mechanism in slave-fermion theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ki-Seok

2010-03-01

We propose Kondo fluctuation mechanism of superconductivity, differentiated from the spin-fluctuation theory as the standard model for unconventional superconductivity in the weak-coupling approach. Based on the U(1) slave-fermion representation of an effective Anderson lattice model, where localized spins are described by the Schwinger boson theory and hybridization or Kondo fluctuations weaken antiferromagnetic correlations of localized spins, we found an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point from an antiferromagnetic metal to a heavy-fermion metal in our recent study. The Kondo-induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point was shown to be described by both conduction electrons and fermionic holons interacting with critical spin fluctuations given by deconfined bosonic spinons with a spin quantum number 1/2. Surprisingly, such critical modes turned out to be described by the dynamical exponent z=3 , giving rise to the well-known non-Fermi-liquid physics such as the divergent Grüneisen ratio with an exponent 2/3 and temperature-linear resistivity in three dimensions. We find that the z=3 antiferromagnetic quantum critical point becomes unstable against superconductivity, where critical spinon excitations give rise to pairing correlations between conduction electrons and between fermionic holons, respectively, via hybridization fluctuations. Such two kinds of pairing correlations result in multigap unconventional superconductivity around the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point of the slave-fermion theory, where s -wave pairing is not favored generically due to strong correlations. We show that the ratio between each superconducting gap for conduction electrons Δc and holons Δf and the transition temperature Tc is 2Δc/Tc˜9 and 2Δf/Tc˜O(10-1) , remarkably consistent with CeCoIn5 . A fingerprint of the Kondo mechanism is emergence of two kinds of resonance modes in not only spin but also charge fluctuations, where the charge resonance mode at an

Novel foamy origin for singlet fermion masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, John; Mavromatos, Nick E.; Nanopoulos, Dimitri V.

2017-10-01

We show how masses for singlet fermions can be generated by interactions with a D-particle model of space-time foam inspired by brane theory. It has been shown previously by one of the authors (N. E. M.) that such interactions may generate dynamically small masses for charged fermions via the recoils of D-particle defects interacting with photons. In this work we consider the direct interactions of D-particle with uncharged singlet fermions such as right-handed neutrinos. Quantum fluctuations of the lattice of D-particles have massless vector (spin-one) excitations that are analogues of phonons. These mediate forces with the singlet fermions, generating large dynamical masses that may be communicated to light neutrinos via the seesaw mechanism.

Amplified fermion production from overpopulated Bose fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berges, J.; Gelfand, D.; Sexty, D.

2014-01-01

We study the real-time dynamics of fermions coupled to scalar fields in a linear sigma model, which is often employed in the context of preheating after inflation or as a low-energy effective model for quantum chromodynamics. We find a dramatic amplification of fermion production in the presence of highly occupied bosonic quanta for weak as well as strong effective couplings. For this we consider the range of validity of different methods: lattice simulations with male/female fermions, the mode functions approach and the quantum 2PI effective action with its associated kinetic theory. For strongly coupled fermions we find a rapid approach to a Fermi-Dirac distribution with time-dependent temperature and chemical potential parameters, while the bosons are still far from equilibrium.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, R. Y.; Zhang, S. J.; Bauer, E. D.

We report optical spectroscopy and ultrafast pump-probe measurements on the antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound CePt 2 In 7 , a member showing stronger two dimensionality than other compounds in the CeIn 3 -derived heavy-fermion family. Here, we identify clear and typical hybridization spectral structures at low temperature from the two different spectroscopy probes. But, the strength and related energy scale of the hybridization are much weaker and smaller than that in the superconducting compounds CeCoIn 5 and CeIrIn 5 . The features are more similar to observations on the antiferromagnetic compounds CeIn 3 and CeRhIn 5 in the same family. Ourmore » results clearly indicate that the Kondo interaction and hybridizations exist in the antiferromagnetic compounds but with weaker strength.« less

Fermionic entanglement that survives a black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Martínez, Eduardo; León, Juan

2009-10-01

We introduce an arbitrary number of accessible modes when analyzing bipartite entanglement degradation due to Unruh effect between two partners Alice and Rob. Under the single mode approximation (SMA) a fermion field only had a few accessible levels due to Pauli exclusion principle conversely to bosonic fields which had an infinite number of excitable levels. This was argued to justify entanglement survival in the fermionic case in the SMA infinite acceleration limit. Here we relax SMA. Hence, an infinite number of modes are excited as the observer Rob accelerates, even for a fermion field. We will prove that, despite this analogy with the bosonic case, entanglement loss is limited. We will show that this comes from fermionic statistics through the characteristic structure it imposes on the infinite dimensional density matrix for Rob. Surprisingly, the surviving entanglement is independent of the specific maximally entangled state chosen, the kind of fermionic field analyzed, and the number of accessible modes considered. We shall discuss whether this surviving entanglement goes beyond the purely statistical correlations, giving insight concerning the black hole information paradox.

On the regularized fermionic projector of the vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finster, Felix

2008-03-01

We construct families of fermionic projectors with spherically symmetric regularization, which satisfy the condition of a distributional MP-product. The method is to analyze regularization tails with a power law or logarithmic scaling in composite expressions in the fermionic projector. The resulting regularizations break the Lorentz symmetry and give rise to a multilayer structure of the fermionic projector near the light cone. Furthermore, we construct regularizations which go beyond the distributional MP-product in that they yield additional distributional contributions supported at the origin. The remaining freedom for the regularization parameters and the consequences for the normalization of the fermionic states are discussed.

Anomalous chiral transport in heavy ion collisions from Anomalous-Viscous Fluid Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Shuzhe; Jiang, Yin; Lilleskov, Elias; Liao, Jinfeng

2018-07-01

Chiral anomaly is a fundamental aspect of quantum theories with chiral fermions. How such microscopic anomaly manifests itself in a macroscopic many-body system with chiral fermions, is a highly nontrivial question that has recently attracted significant interest. As it turns out, unusual transport currents can be induced by chiral anomaly under suitable conditions in such systems, with the notable example of the Chiral Magnetic Effect (CME) where a vector current (e.g. electric current) is generated along an external magnetic field. A lot of efforts have been made to search for CME in heavy ion collisions, by measuring the charge separation effect induced by the CME transport. A crucial challenge in such effort, is the quantitative prediction for the CME signal. In this paper, we develop the Anomalous-Viscous Fluid Dynamics (AVFD) framework, which implements the anomalous fluid dynamics to describe the evolution of fermion currents in QGP, on top of the neutral bulk background described by the VISH2+1 hydrodynamic simulations for heavy ion collisions. With this new tool, we quantitatively and systematically investigate the dependence of the CME signal to a series of theoretical inputs and associated uncertainties. With realistic estimates of initial conditions and magnetic field lifetime, the predicted CME signal is quantitatively consistent with measured change separation data in 200GeV Au-Au collisions. Based on analysis of Au-Au collisions, we further make predictions for the CME observable to be measured in the planned isobaric (Ru-Ru v.s. Zr-Zr) collision experiment, which could provide a most decisive test of the CME in heavy ion collisions.

Hamiltonian Cycle Enumeration via Fermion-Zeon Convolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staples, G. Stacey

2017-12-01

Beginning with a simple graph having finite vertex set V, operators are induced on fermion and zeon algebras by the action of the graph's adjacency matrix and combinatorial Laplacian on the vector space spanned by the graph's vertices. When the graph is simple (undirected with no loops or multiple edges), the matrices are symmetric and the induced operators are self-adjoint. The goal of the current paper is to recover a number of known graph-theoretic results from quantum observables constructed as linear operators on fermion and zeon Fock spaces. By considering an "indeterminate" fermion/zeon Fock space, a fermion-zeon convolution operator is defined whose trace recovers the number of Hamiltonian cycles in the graph. This convolution operator is a quantum observable whose expectation reveals the number of Hamiltonian cycles in the graph.

Discrete symmetries and the propagator approach to coupled fermions in Quantum Field Theory. Generalities: The case of a single fermion-antifermion pair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duret, Q.; Machet, B.

2010-10-01

Starting from Wigner's symmetry representation theorem, we give a general account of discrete symmetries (parity P, charge conjugation C, time-reversal T), focusing on fermions in Quantum Field Theory. We provide the rules of transformation of Weyl spinors, both at the classical level (grassmanian wave functions) and quantum level (operators). Making use of Wightman's definition of invariance, we outline ambiguities linked to the notion of classical fermionic Lagrangian. We then present the general constraints cast by these transformations and their products on the propagator of the simplest among coupled fermionic system, the one made with one fermion and its antifermion. Last, we put in correspondence the propagation of C eigenstates (Majorana fermions) and the criteria cast on their propagator by C and CP invariance.

Superfluid Boson-Fermion Mixture: Structure Formation and Collective Periodic Motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, A.

2018-01-01

Multiple periodic domain formation due to a modulation instability in a boson-fermion mixture superfluid in the unitary regime has been studied. The periodicity of the structure evolves with time. At the early stage of evolution, bosonic domains show the periodic nature, whereas the periodicity in the fermionic (Cooper pair) domains appears at the late stage of evolution. The nature of interatomic interspecies interactions affects the domain formation. In a harmonic trap, the mixture executes an undamped oscillation. The frequency of the oscillation depends on the relative coupling strength between boson-fermion and fermion-fermion. The repulsive boson-fermion interaction reduces the oscillation frequency, whereas the attractive interaction enhances the frequency significantly.

Itinerant quantum multicriticality of two-dimensional Dirac fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Bitan; Goswami, Pallab; Juričić, Vladimir

2018-05-01

We analyze emergent quantum multicriticality for strongly interacting, massless Dirac fermions in two spatial dimensions (d =2 ) within the framework of Gross-Neveu-Yukawa models, by considering the competing order parameters that give rise to fully gapped (insulating or superconducting) ground states. We focus only on those competing orders which can be rotated into each other by generators of an exact or emergent chiral symmetry of massless Dirac fermions, and break O(S1) and O(S2) symmetries in the ordered phase. Performing a renormalization-group analysis by using the ɛ =(3 -d ) expansion scheme, we show that all the coupling constants in the critical hyperplane flow toward a new attractive fixed point, supporting an enlarged O(S1+S2) chiral symmetry. Such a fixed point acts as an exotic quantum multicritical point (MCP), governing the continuous semimetal-insulator as well as insulator-insulator (for example, antiferromagnet to valence bond solid) quantum phase transitions. In comparison with the lower symmetric semimetal-insulator quantum critical points, possessing either O(S1) or O(S2) chiral symmetry, the MCP displays enhanced correlation length exponents, and anomalous scaling dimensions for both fermionic and bosonic fields. We discuss the scaling properties of the ratio of bosonic and fermionic masses, and the increased dc resistivity at the MCP. By computing the scaling dimensions of different local fermion bilinears in the particle-hole channel, we establish that most of the four fermion operators or generalized density-density correlation functions display faster power-law decays at the MCP compared to the free fermion and lower symmetric itinerant quantum critical points. Possible generalization of this scenario to higher-dimensional Dirac fermions is also outlined.

Bosonization of fermions coupled to topologically massive gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fradkin, Eduardo; Moreno, Enrique F.; Schaposnik, Fidel A.

2014-03-01

We establish a duality between massive fermions coupled to topologically massive gravity (TMG) in d=3 space-time dimensions and a purely gravity theory which also will turn out to be a TMG theory but with different parameters: the original graviton mass in the TMG theory coupled to fermions picks up a contribution from fermion bosonization. We obtain explicit bosonization rules for the fermionic currents and for the energy-momentum tensor showing that the identifications do not depend explicitly on the parameters of the theory. These results are the gravitational analog of the results for 2+1 Abelian and non-Abelian bosonization in flat space-time.

Semiclassical fermion pair creation in de Sitter spacetime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stahl, Clément, E-mail: clement.stahl@icranet.org; Eckhard, Strobel, E-mail: eckhard.strobel@irap-phd.eu; Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome

2015-12-17

We present a method to semiclassically compute the pair creation rate of bosons and fermions in de Sitter spacetime. The results in the bosonic case agree with the ones in the literature. We find that for the constant electric field the fermionic and bosonic pair creation rate are the same. This analogy of bosons and fermions in the semiclassical limit is known from several flat spacetime examples.

Observation of three-component fermions in the topological semimetal molybdenum phosphide.

PubMed

Lv, B Q; Feng, Z-L; Xu, Q-N; Gao, X; Ma, J-Z; Kong, L-Y; Richard, P; Huang, Y-B; Strocov, V N; Fang, C; Weng, H-M; Shi, Y-G; Qian, T; Ding, H

2017-06-29

In quantum field theory, Lorentz invariance leads to three types of fermion-Dirac, Weyl and Majorana. Although the existence of Weyl and Majorana fermions as elementary particles in high-energy physics is debated, all three types of fermion have been proposed to exist as low-energy, long-wavelength quasiparticle excitations in condensed-matter systems. The existence of Dirac and Weyl fermions in condensed-matter systems has been confirmed experimentally, and that of Majorana fermions is supported by various experiments. However, in condensed-matter systems, fermions in crystals are constrained by the symmetries of the 230 crystal space groups rather than by Lorentz invariance, giving rise to the possibility of finding other types of fermionic excitation that have no counterparts in high-energy physics. Here we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to demonstrate the existence of a triply degenerate point in the electronic structure of crystalline molybdenum phosphide. Quasiparticle excitations near a triply degenerate point are three-component fermions, beyond the conventional Dirac-Weyl-Majorana classification, which attributes Dirac and Weyl fermions to four- and two-fold degenerate points, respectively. We also observe pairs of Weyl points in the bulk electronic structure of the crystal that coexist with the three-component fermions. This material thus represents a platform for studying the interplay between different types of fermions. Our experimental discovery opens up a way of exploring the new physics of unconventional fermions in condensed-matter systems.

Entanglement entropies and fermion signs of critical metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplis, N.; Krüger, F.; Zaanen, J.

2017-04-01

The fermion sign problem is often viewed as a sheer inconvenience that plagues numerical studies of strongly interacting electron systems. Only recently has it been suggested that fermion signs are fundamental for the universal behavior of critical metallic systems and crucially enhance their degree of quantum entanglement. In this work we explore potential connections between emergent scale invariance of fermion sign structures and scaling properties of bipartite entanglement entropies. Our analysis is based on a wave-function Ansatz that incorporates collective, long-range backflow correlations into fermionic Slater determinants. Such wave functions mimic the collapse of a Fermi liquid at a quantum critical point. Their nodal surfaces, a representation of the fermion sign structure in many-particle configurations space, show fractal behavior up to a length scale ξ that diverges at a critical backflow strength. We show that the Hausdorff dimension of the fractal nodal surface depends on ξ , the number of fermions and the exponent of the backflow. For the same wave functions we numerically calculate the second Rényi entanglement entropy S2. Our results show a crossover from volume scaling, S2˜ℓθ (θ =2 in d =2 dimensions), to the characteristic Fermi-liquid behavior S2˜ℓ lnℓ on scales larger than ξ . We find that volume scaling of the entanglement entropy is a robust feature of critical backflow fermions, independent of the backflow exponent and hence the fractal dimension of the scale invariant sign structure.

Baby Skyrme model and fermionic zero modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Queiruga, J. M.

2016-09-01

In this work we investigate some features of the fermionic sector of the supersymmetric version of the baby Skyrme model. We find that, in the background of Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield compact baby Skyrmions, fermionic zero modes are confined to the defect core. Further, we show that, while three Supersymmetry (SUSY) generators are broken in the defect core, SUSY is completely restored outside. We study also the effect of a D-term deformation of the model. Such a deformation allows for the existence of fermionic zero modes and broken SUSY outside the compact defect.

Instantons and Massless Fermions in Two Dimensions

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Callan, C. G. Jr.; Dashen, R.; Gross, D. J.

1977-05-01

The role of instantons in the breakdown of chiral U(N) symmetry is studied in a two dimensional model. Chiral U(1) is always destroyed by the axial vector anomaly. For N = 2 chiral SU(N) is also spontaneously broken yielding massive fermions and three (decoupled) Goldstone bosons. For N greater than or equal to 3 the fermions remain massless. Realistic four dimensional theories are believed to behave in a similar way but the critical N above which the fermions cease to be massive is not known in four dimensions.

Observing fermionic statistics with photons in arbitrary processes

PubMed Central

Matthews, Jonathan C. F.; Poulios, Konstantinos; Meinecke, Jasmin D. A.; Politi, Alberto; Peruzzo, Alberto; Ismail, Nur; Wörhoff, Kerstin; Thompson, Mark G.; O'Brien, Jeremy L.

2013-01-01

Quantum mechanics defines two classes of particles-bosons and fermions-whose exchange statistics fundamentally dictate quantum dynamics. Here we develop a scheme that uses entanglement to directly observe the correlated detection statistics of any number of fermions in any physical process. This approach relies on sending each of the entangled particles through identical copies of the process and by controlling a single phase parameter in the entangled state, the correlated detection statistics can be continuously tuned between bosonic and fermionic statistics. We implement this scheme via two entangled photons shared across the polarisation modes of a single photonic chip to directly mimic the fermion, boson and intermediate behaviour of two-particles undergoing a continuous time quantum walk. The ability to simulate fermions with photons is likely to have applications for verifying boson scattering and for observing particle correlations in analogue simulation using any physical platform that can prepare the entangled state prescribed here. PMID:23531788

How gauge covariance of the fermion and boson propagators in QED constrain the effective fermion-boson vertex

DOE PAGES

Jia, Shaoyang; Pennington, M. R.

2016-12-12

In this paper, we derive the gauge covariance requirement imposed on the QED fermion-photon three-point function within the framework of a spectral representation for fermion propagators. When satisfied, such requirement ensures solutions to the fermion propagator Schwinger-Dyson equation (SDE) in any covariant gauge with arbitrary numbers of spacetime dimensions to be consistent with the Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin transformation (LKFT). The general result has been verified by the special cases of three and four dimensions. Additionally, we present the condition that ensures the vacuum polarization is independent of the gauge parameter. Finally, as an illustration, we show how the gauge technique dimensionally regularizedmore » in four dimensions does not satisfy the covariance requirement.« less

Fermion number of twisted kinks in the NJL2 model revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thies, Michael

2018-03-01

As a consequence of axial current conservation, fermions cannot be bound in localized lumps in the massless Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. In the case of twisted kinks, this manifests itself in a cancellation between the valence fermion density and the fermion density induced in the Dirac sea. To attribute the correct fermion number to these bound states requires an infrared regularization. Recently, this has been achieved by introducing a bare fermion mass, at least in the nonrelativistic regime of small twist angles and fermion numbers. Here, we propose a simpler regularization using a finite box which preserves integrability and can be applied at any twist angle. A consistent and physically plausible assignment of fermion number to all twisted kinks emerges.

Signature of heavy sterile neutrinos at CEPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Wei; Wu, Xiao-Hong

2018-03-01

We study the production of heavy sterile neutrino N , e+e-→N ν (ν ¯), at the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) and its l j j signal in its decay to three charged fermions. We study background events for this process which are mainly events coming from W pair production. We study the production of a single heavy sterile neutrino and the sensitivity of CEPC to the mixing of the sterile neutrino with active neutrinos. We study the production of two degenerate heavy sterile neutrinos in a low energy seesaw model by taking into account the constraints on mixings of sterile neutrinos from the neutrinoless double β decay experiment and the masses and mixings of active neutrinos. We show that CEPC under proposal has a good sensitivity to the mixing of sterile neutrinos with active neutrinos for a mass of a sterile neutrino around 100 GeV.

Multi-wavelength mid-IR light source for gas sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karioja, Pentti; Alajoki, Teemu; Cherchi, Matteo; Ollila, Jyrki; Harjanne, Mikko; Heinilehto, Noora; Suomalainen, Soile; Viheriälä, Jukka; Zia, Nouman; Guina, Mircea; Buczyński, Ryszard; Kasztelanic, Rafał; Kujawa, Ireneusz; Salo, Tomi; Virtanen, Sami; Kluczyński, Paweł; Sagberg, Hâkon; Ratajczyk, Marcin; Kalinowski, Przemyslaw

2017-02-01

Cost effective multi-wavelength light sources are key enablers for wide-scale penetration of gas sensors at Mid-IR wavelength range. Utilizing novel Mid-IR Si-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) filter and wide-band Mid-IR Super Luminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLEDs), we show the concept of a light source that covers 2.5…3.5 μm wavelength range with a resolution of <1nm. The spectral bands are switchable and tunable and they can be modulated. The source allows for the fabrication of an affordable multi-band gas sensor with good selectivity and sensitivity. The unit price can be lowered in high volumes by utilizing tailored molded IR lens technology and automated packaging and assembling technologies. The status of the development of the key components of the light source are reported. The PIC is based on the use of micron-scale SOI technology, SLED is based on AlGaInAsSb materials and the lenses are tailored heavy metal oxide glasses fabricated by the use of hot-embossing. The packaging concept utilizing automated assembly tools is depicted. In safety and security applications, the Mid-IR wavelength range covered by the novel light source allows for detecting several harmful gas components with a single sensor. At the moment, affordable sources are not available. The market impact is expected to be disruptive, since the devices currently in the market are either complicated, expensive and heavy instruments, or the applied measurement principles are inadequate in terms of stability and selectivity.

Observation of three-component fermions in the topological semimetal molybdenum phosphide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, B. Q.; Feng, Z.-L.; Xu, Q.-N.; Gao, X.; Ma, J.-Z.; Kong, L.-Y.; Richard, P.; Huang, Y.-B.; Strocov, V. N.; Fang, C.; Weng, H.-M.; Shi, Y.-G.; Qian, T.; Ding, H.

2017-06-01

In quantum field theory, Lorentz invariance leads to three types of fermion—Dirac, Weyl and Majorana. Although the existence of Weyl and Majorana fermions as elementary particles in high-energy physics is debated, all three types of fermion have been proposed to exist as low-energy, long-wavelength quasiparticle excitations in condensed-matter systems. The existence of Dirac and Weyl fermions in condensed-matter systems has been confirmed experimentally, and that of Majorana fermions is supported by various experiments. However, in condensed-matter systems, fermions in crystals are constrained by the symmetries of the 230 crystal space groups rather than by Lorentz invariance, giving rise to the possibility of finding other types of fermionic excitation that have no counterparts in high-energy physics. Here we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to demonstrate the existence of a triply degenerate point in the electronic structure of crystalline molybdenum phosphide. Quasiparticle excitations near a triply degenerate point are three-component fermions, beyond the conventional Dirac-Weyl-Majorana classification, which attributes Dirac and Weyl fermions to four- and two-fold degenerate points, respectively. We also observe pairs of Weyl points in the bulk electronic structure of the crystal that coexist with the three-component fermions. This material thus represents a platform for studying the interplay between different types of fermions. Our experimental discovery opens up a way of exploring the new physics of unconventional fermions in condensed-matter systems.

Topology and strong four fermion interactions in four dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catterall, Simon; Butt, Nouman

2018-05-01

We study massless fermions interacting through a particular four-fermion term in four dimensions. Exact symmetries prevent the generation of bilinear fermion mass terms. We determine the structure of the low-energy effective action for the auxiliary field needed to generate the four-fermion term and find it has an novel structure that admits topologically nontrivial defects with nonzero Hopf invariant. We show that fermions propagating in such a background pick up a mass without breaking symmetries. Furthermore, pairs of such defects experience a logarithmic interaction. We argue that a phase transition separates a phase where these defects proliferate from a broken phase where they are bound tightly. We conjecture that, by tuning one additional operator, the broken phase can be eliminated with a single BKT-like phase transition separating the massless from massive phases.

Fluctuations of a q-deformed fermion gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Qijun; Ge, Jing; Luo, Yongsong

2018-05-01

The theory of q-deformed fermions is one of the theories of q-deformed oscillators. Within the framework of this theory and the traditional fluctuation theory, we investigate fluctuations of q-deformed fermion gas and obtain the expressions of fluctuations of the internal energy U, the particle number N and the correlation of fluctuations of the two physical quantities above. Further numerical calculation reveals that fluctuations of such a system have some interesting and particular features. We consider that this work may provide much insight into the theory of q fermions, and may also be helpful for the theory of q-deformed oscillators.

Effect of Pressure on Valence and Structural Properties of YbFe 2 Ge 2 Heavy Fermion Compound—A Combined Inelastic X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Theoretical Investigation

DOE PAGES

Kumar, Ravhi S.; Svane, Axel; Vaitheeswaran, Ganapathy; ...

2015-10-19

We measured the crystal structure and the Yb valence of the YbFe 2Ge 2 heavy fermion compound at room temperature and under high pressures using high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy via both partial fluorescence yield and resonant inelastic X-ray emission techniques. Moreover, the measurements are complemented by first-principles density functional theoretical calculations using the self-interaction corrected local spin density approximation investigating in particular the magnetic structure and the Yb valence. Finally, while the ThCr 2Si 2-type tetragonal (I4/mmm) structure is stable up to 53 GPa, the X-ray emission results show an increase of the Yb valence frommore » v = 2.72(2) at ambient pressure to v = 2.93(3) at ~9 GPa, where at low temperature a pressure-induced quantum critical state was reported.« less

Strings, boundary fermions and coincident D-branes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wulff, Linus

2007-01-01

This thesis describes an attempt to write down covariant actions for coincident D-branes using so-called boundary fermions instead of matrices to describe the non-abelian fields. These fermions can be thought of as Chan-Paton degrees of freedom for the open string. It is shown that by gauge-fixing and by suitably quantizing these boundary fermions the non-abelian action that is known, the Myers action, can be reproduced. Furthermore it is shown that under natural assumptions, unlike the Myers action, the action formulated using boundary fermions also posseses kappa-symmetry when formulated on superspace. Another aspect of string theory discussed in this thesis is that of tensionless strings. These are of great interest for example because of their possible relation to higher spin gauge theories via the AdS/CFT-correspondence. The tensionless superstring in a plane wave background, a Penrose limit of the near-horizon geometry of a stack of D3-branes, is considered and compared to the tensile case.

Magnetic-field induced quantum critical points of valence transition in Ce- and Yb-based heavy fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Shinji; Tsuruta, Atsushi; Miyake, Kazumasa; Flouquet, Jacques

2009-03-01

Valence instability and its critical fluctuations have attracted much attention recently in the heavy-electron systems. Valence fluctuations are essentially charge fluctuations, and it is highly non-trivial how the quantum critical point (QCP) as well as the critical end point is controlled by the magnetic field. To clarify this fundamental issue, we have studied the mechanism of how the critical points of the first-order valence transitions are controlled by the magnetic field [1]. We show that the critical temperature is suppressed to be the QCP by the magnetic field and unexpectedly the QCP exhibits nonmonotonic field dependence in the ground-state phase diagram, giving rise to emergence of metamagnetism even in the intermediate valence-crossover regime. The driving force of the field-induced QCP is clarified to be a cooperative phenomenon of Zeeman effect and Kondo effect, which creates a distinct energy scale from the Kondo temperature. This mechanism explains a peculiar magnetic response in CeIrIn5 and metamagnetic transition in YbXCu4 for X=In as well as a sharp contrast between X=Ag and Cd. We present the novel phenomena under the magnetic field to discuss significance of the proximity of the critical points of the first-order valence transition. [1] S. Watanabe et al. PRL100, (2008) 236401.

Parametrically coupled fermionic oscillators: Correlation functions and phase-space description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Arnab

2015-01-01

A fermionic analog of a parametric amplifier is used to describe the joint quantum state of the two interacting fermionic modes. Based on a two-mode generalization of the time-dependent density operator, time evolution of the fermionic density operator is determined in terms of its two-mode Wigner and P function. It is shown that the equation of motion of the Wigner function corresponds to a fermionic analog of Liouville's equation. The equilibrium density operator for fermionic fields developed by Cahill and Glauber is thus extended to a dynamical context to show that the mathematical structures of both the correlation functions and the weight factors closely resemble their bosonic counterpart. It has been shown that the fermionic correlation functions are marked by a characteristic upper bound due to Fermi statistics, which can be verified in the matter wave counterpart of photon down-conversion experiments.

Dirac fermions in an antiferromagnetic semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Peizhe; Zhou, Quan; Xu, Gang; Zhang, Shou-Cheng

2016-12-01

Analogues of the elementary particles have been extensively searched for in condensed-matter systems for both scientific interest and technological applications. Recently, massless Dirac fermions were found to emerge as low-energy excitations in materials now known as Dirac semimetals. All of the currently known Dirac semimetals are non-magnetic with both time-reversal symmetry and inversion symmetry . Here we show that Dirac fermions can exist in one type of antiferromagnetic system, where both and are broken but their combination is respected. We propose orthorhombic antiferromagnet CuMnAs as a candidate, analyse the robustness of the Dirac points under symmetry protections and demonstrate its distinctive bulk dispersions, as well as the corresponding surface states, by ab initio calculations. Our results provide a possible platform to study the interplay of Dirac fermion physics and magnetism.

Adding gauge fields to Kaplan's fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blum, T.; Kärkkäinen, Leo

1994-04-01

We experiment with adding dynamical gauge field to Kaplan (defect) fermions. In the case of U (1) gauge theory we use an inhomogenous Higgs mechanism to restrict the 3d gauge dynamics to a planar 2d defect. In our simulations the 3d theory produce the correct 2d gauge dynamics. We measure fermion propagators with dynamical gauge fields. They posses the correct chiral structure. The fermions at the boundary of the support of the gauge field (waveguide) are non-chiral, and have a mass two times heavier than the chiral modes. Moreover, these modes cannot be excited by a source at the defect; implying that they are dynamically decoupled. We have also checked that the anomaly relation is fullfilled for the case of a smooth external gauge field.

Fermions and Bosons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lincoln, Don

In particle physics, there are many different types of particles, mostly ending with the phrase “-on.” In this video, Fermilab’s Dr. Don Lincoln talks about fermions and bosons and what is the key difference between these two particles.

Dirac fermions in an antiferromagnetic semimetal

DOE PAGES

Tang, Peizhe; Zhou, Quan; Xu, Gang; ...

2016-08-08

Analogues of the elementary particles have been extensively searched for in condensed-matter systems for both scientific interest and technological applications. Recently, massless Dirac fermions were found to emerge as low-energy excitations in materials now known as Dirac semimetals. All of the currently known Dirac semimetals are non-magnetic with both time-reversal symmetry and inversion symmetry. Here in this paper, we show that Dirac fermions can exist in one type of antiferromagnetic system, where both and are broken but their combination is respected. We propose orthorhombic antiferromagnet CuMnAs as a candidate, analyse the robustness of the Dirac points under symmetry protections andmore » demonstrate its distinctive bulk dispersions, as well as the corresponding surface states, by ab initio calculations. Our results provide a possible platform to study the interplay of Dirac fermion physics and magnetism.« less

Wigner functions for fermions in strong magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Xin-li; Rischke, Dirk H.; Vasak, David; Wang, Qun

2018-02-01

We compute the covariant Wigner function for spin-(1/2) fermions in an arbitrarily strong magnetic field by exactly solving the Dirac equation at non-zero fermion-number and chiral-charge densities. The Landau energy levels as well as a set of orthonormal eigenfunctions are found as solutions of the Dirac equation. With these orthonormal eigenfunctions we construct the fermion field operators and the corresponding Wigner-function operator. The Wigner function is obtained by taking the ensemble average of the Wigner-function operator in global thermodynamical equilibrium, i.e., at constant temperature T and non-zero fermion-number and chiral-charge chemical potentials μ and μ_5, respectively. Extracting the vector and axial-vector components of the Wigner function, we reproduce the currents of the chiral magnetic and separation effect in an arbitrarily strong magnetic field.

Measurement of IR optics with linear coupling's action-angle parametrization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Y.; Bai, M.; Pilat, F.; Satogata, T.; Trbojevic, D.

2005-08-01

Linear coupling’s action-angle parametrization is convenient for interpretation of turn-by-turn beam position monitor (BPM) data. We demonstrate how to apply this parametrization to extract Twiss and coupling parameters in interaction regions (IRs), using BPMs on each side of a long IR drift region. Example data were acquired at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, using an ac dipole to excite a single transverse eigenmode. We have measured the waist of the β function and its Twiss and coupling parameters.

Fermions tunnelling from the charged dilatonic black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, De-You; Jiang, Qing-Quan; Zu, Xiao-Tao

2008-10-01

Kerner and Mann's recent work shows that for an uncharged and non-rotating black hole its Hawking temperature can be correctly derived by fermions tunnelling from its horizons. In this paper, our main work is to improve the analysis to deal with charged fermion tunnelling from the general dilatonic black holes, specifically including the charged, spherically symmetric dilatonic black hole, the rotating Einstein Maxwell dilaton axion (EMDA) black hole and the rotating Kaluza Klein (KK) black hole. As a result, the correct Hawking temperatures are well recovered by charged fermions tunnelling from these black holes.

Grassmann phase space methods for fermions. II. Field theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dalton, B.J., E-mail: bdalton@swin.edu.au; Jeffers, J.; Barnett, S.M.

In both quantum optics and cold atom physics, the behaviour of bosonic photons and atoms is often treated using phase space methods, where mode annihilation and creation operators are represented by c-number phase space variables, with the density operator equivalent to a distribution function of these variables. The anti-commutation rules for fermion annihilation, creation operators suggests the possibility of using anti-commuting Grassmann variables to represent these operators. However, in spite of the seminal work by Cahill and Glauber and a few applications, the use of Grassmann phase space methods in quantum-atom optics to treat fermionic systems is rather rare, thoughmore » fermion coherent states using Grassmann variables are widely used in particle physics. This paper presents a phase space theory for fermion systems based on distribution functionals, which replace the density operator and involve Grassmann fields representing anti-commuting fermion field annihilation, creation operators. It is an extension of a previous phase space theory paper for fermions (Paper I) based on separate modes, in which the density operator is replaced by a distribution function depending on Grassmann phase space variables which represent the mode annihilation and creation operators. This further development of the theory is important for the situation when large numbers of fermions are involved, resulting in too many modes to treat separately. Here Grassmann fields, distribution functionals, functional Fokker–Planck equations and Ito stochastic field equations are involved. Typical applications to a trapped Fermi gas of interacting spin 1/2 fermionic atoms and to multi-component Fermi gases with non-zero range interactions are presented, showing that the Ito stochastic field equations are local in these cases. For the spin 1/2 case we also show how simple solutions can be obtained both for the untrapped case and for an optical lattice trapping potential.« less

Ladder physics in the spin fermion model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsvelik, A. M.

2017-05-01

A link is established between the spin fermion (SF) model of the cuprates and the approach based on the analogy between the physics of doped Mott insulators in two dimensions and the physics of fermionic ladders. This enables one to use nonperturbative results derived for fermionic ladders to move beyond the large-N approximation in the SF model. It is shown that the paramagnon exchange postulated in the SF model has exactly the right form to facilitate the emergence of the fully gapped d -Mott state in the region of the Brillouin zone at the hot spots of the Fermi surface. Hence, the SF model provides an adequate description of the pseudogap.

Weak antilocalization of composite fermions in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laitinen, Antti; Kumar, Manohar; Hakonen, Pertti J.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate experimentally that composite fermions in monolayer graphene display weak antilocalization. Our experiments deal with fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states in high-mobility, suspended graphene Corbino disks in the vicinity of ν =1 /2 . We find a strong temperature dependence of conductivity σ away from half filling, which is consistent with the expected electron-electron interaction-induced gaps in the FQH state. At half filling, however, the temperature dependence of conductivity σ (T ) becomes quite weak, as anticipated for a Fermi sea of composite fermions, and we find a logarithmic dependence of σ on T . The sign of this quantum correction coincides with the weak antilocalization of graphene composite fermions, indigenous to chiral Dirac particles.

Ladder physics in the spin fermion model

DOE PAGES

Tsvelik, A. M.

2017-05-01

A link is established between the spin fermion (SF) model of the cuprates and the approach based on the analogy between the physics of doped Mott insulators in two dimensions and the physics of fermionic ladders. This enables one to use nonperturbative results derived for fermionic ladders to move beyond the large-N approximation in the SF model. Here, it is shown that the paramagnon exchange postulated in the SF model has exactly the right form to facilitate the emergence of the fully gapped d-Mott state in the region of the Brillouin zone at the hot spots of the Fermi surface.more » Hence, the SF model provides an adequate description of the pseudogap.« less

Abnormal specific heat enhancement and non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the heavy-fermion system U2Cu17 -xGax (5 ≤x ≤8 )

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svanidze, E.; Amon, A.; Prots, Yu.; Leithe-Jasper, A.; Grin, Yu.

2018-03-01

In the antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound U2Zn17 , the Sommerfeld coefficient γ can be enhanced if all Zn atoms are replaced by a combination of Cu and Al or Cu and Ga. In the former ternary phase, glassy behavior was observed, while for the latter, conflicting ground-state reports suggest material quality issues. In this work, we investigate the U2Cu17 -xGax substitutional series for 4.5 ≤x ≤9.5 . In the homogeneity range of the phase with the Th2Zn17 -type of crystal structure, all samples exhibit glassy behavior with 0.6 K ≤Tf≤1.8 K . The value of the electronic specific heat coefficient γ in this system exceeds 900 mJ/molUK2. Such a drastic effective-mass enhancement can possibly be attributed to the effects of structural disorder, since the role of electron concentration and lattice compression is likely minimal. Crystallographic disorder is also responsible for the emergence of non-Fermi-liquid behavior in these spin-glass materials, as evidenced by logarithmic divergence of magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, and electrical resistivity.

Superfluid and Insulating Phases of Fermion Mixtures in Optical Lattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iskin, M.; Sa de Melo, C. A. R.

2007-08-24

The ground state phase diagram of fermion mixtures in optical lattices is analyzed as a function of interaction strength, fermion filling factor, and tunneling parameters. In addition to standard superfluid, phase-separated or coexisting superfluid-excess-fermion phases found in homogeneous or harmonically trapped systems, fermions in optical lattices have several insulating phases, including a molecular Bose-Mott insulator (BMI), a Fermi-Pauli (band) insulator (FPI), a phase-separated BMI-FPI mixture or a Bose-Fermi checkerboard (BFC). The molecular BMI phase is the fermion mixture counterpart of the atomic BMI found in atomic Bose systems, the BFC or BMI-FPI phases exist in Bose-Fermi mixtures, and lastly themore » FPI phase is particular to the Fermi nature of the constituent atoms of the mixture.« less

Realizing universal Majorana fermionic quantum computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Ya-Jie; He, Jing; Kou, Su-Peng

2014-08-01

Majorana fermionic quantum computation (MFQC) was proposed by S. B. Bravyi and A. Yu. Kitaev [Ann. Phys. (NY) 298, 210 (2002), 10.1006/aphy.2002.6254], who indicated that a (nontopological) fault-tolerant quantum computer built from Majorana fermions may be more efficient than that built from distinguishable two-state systems. However, until now scientists have not known how to realize a MFQC in a physical system. In this paper we propose a possible realization of MFQC. We find that the end of a line defect of a p-wave superconductor or superfluid in a honeycomb lattice traps a Majorana zero mode, which becomes the starting point of MFQC. Then we show how to manipulate Majorana fermions to perform universal MFQC, which possesses possibilities for high-level local controllability through individually addressing the quantum states of individual constituent elements by using timely cold-atom technology.

Diffusion in higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Wenhe; Ge, Xian-Hui; Yang, Guo-Hong

2018-01-01

We construct a new higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions on bipartite lattices. As an extension of the original zero-dimensional SYK model, we focus on the one-dimension case, and similar Hamiltonian can be obtained in higher dimensions. This model has a conserved U(1) fermion number Q and a conjugate chemical potential μ. We evaluate the thermal and charge diffusion constants via large q expansion at low temperature limit. The results show that the diffusivity depends on the ratio of free Majorana fermions to Majorana fermions with SYK interactions. The transport properties and the butterfly velocity are accordingly calculated at low temperature. The specific heat and the thermal conductivity are proportional to the temperature. The electrical resistivity also has a linear temperature dependence term.

A four-dimensional model with the fermionic determinant exactly evaluated

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mignaco, J. A.; Rego Monteiro, M. A.

1986-07-01

A method is presented to compute the fermion determinant of some class of field theories. By this method the following results of the fermion determinant in two dimensions are easily recovered: (i) Schwinger model without reference to a particular gauge. (ii) QCD in the light-cone gauge. (iii) Gauge invariant result of QCD. The method is finally applied to give an analytical solution of the fermion determinant of a four-dimensional, non-abelian, Dirac-like theory with massless fermions interacting with an external vector field through a pseudo-vectorial coupling. Fellow of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), Brazil.

Stochastic quantization and holographic Wilsonian renormalization group of free massive fermion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Sung Pil

2018-06-01

We examine a suggested relation between stochastic quantization and the holographic Wilsonian renormalization group in the massive fermion case on Euclidean AdS space. The original suggestion about the general relation between the two theories is posted in arXiv:1209.2242. In the previous researches, it is already verified that scalar fields, U(1) gauge fields, and massless fermions are consistent with the relation. In this paper, we examine the relation in the massive fermion case. Contrary to the other case, in the massive fermion case, the action needs particular boundary terms to satisfy boundary conditions. We finally confirm that the proposed suggestion is also valid in the massive fermion case.

New decay modes of heavy Higgs bosons in a two Higgs doublet model with vectorlike leptons

DOE PAGES

Dermíšek, Radovan; Lunghi, Enrico; Shin, Seodong

2016-05-25

In models with extended Higgs sector and additional matter fields, the decay modes of heavy Higgs bosons can be dominated by cascade decays through the new fermions rendering present search strategies ineffective. Here, we investigate new decay topologies of heavy neutral Higgses in two Higgs doublet model with vectorlike leptons. We also discus constraints from existing searches and discovery prospects. Among the most interesting signatures are monojet, mono Z, mono Higgs, and Z and Higgs bosons produced with a pair of charged leptons.

Domain wall fermion and CP symmetry breaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujikawa, Kazuo; Suzuki, Hiroshi

2003-02-01

We examine the CP properties of chiral gauge theory defined by a formulation of the domain wall fermion, where the light field variables q and q¯ together with Pauli-Villars fields Q and Q¯ are utilized. It is shown that this domain wall representation in the infinite flavor limit N=∞ is valid only in the topologically trivial sector, and that the conflict among lattice chiral symmetry, strict locality and CP symmetry still persists for finite lattice spacing a. The CP transformation generally sends one representation of lattice chiral gauge theory into another representation of lattice chiral gauge theory, resulting in the inevitable change of propagators. A modified form of lattice CP transformation motivated by the domain wall fermion, which keeps the chiral action in terms of the Ginsparg-Wilson fermion invariant, is analyzed in detail; this provides an alternative way to understand the breaking of CP symmetry at least in the topologically trivial sector. We note that the conflict with CP symmetry could be regarded as a topological obstruction. We also discuss the issues related to the definition of Majorana fermions in connection with the supersymmetric Wess-Zumino model on the lattice.

Quantum computing with Majorana fermion codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litinski, Daniel; von Oppen, Felix

2018-05-01

We establish a unified framework for Majorana-based fault-tolerant quantum computation with Majorana surface codes and Majorana color codes. All logical Clifford gates are implemented with zero-time overhead. This is done by introducing a protocol for Pauli product measurements with tetrons and hexons which only requires local 4-Majorana parity measurements. An analogous protocol is used in the fault-tolerant setting, where tetrons and hexons are replaced by Majorana surface code patches, and parity measurements are replaced by lattice surgery, still only requiring local few-Majorana parity measurements. To this end, we discuss twist defects in Majorana fermion surface codes and adapt the technique of twist-based lattice surgery to fermionic codes. Moreover, we propose a family of codes that we refer to as Majorana color codes, which are obtained by concatenating Majorana surface codes with small Majorana fermion codes. Majorana surface and color codes can be used to decrease the space overhead and stabilizer weight compared to their bosonic counterparts.

Drude Conductivity of Dirac Fermions in Graphene

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

interband transitions, as required by the sum rule. Our surprising observation indicates that many-body effects and Dirac fermion-impurity interactions...reduction of free electron oscillator strength is corroborated by corresponding changes in graphene interband transitions, as required by the sum...dimensions. Researchers have demonstrated in graphene exotic Dirac fermion phenomena ranging from anomalous quantum Hall effects 1,2 to Klein tunneling 3 in

High pressure effects on U L 3 x-ray absorption in partial fluorescence yield mode and single crystal x-ray diffraction in the heavy fermion compound UCd 11

DOE PAGES

Nasreen, Farzana; Antonio, Daniel; VanGennep, Derrick; ...

2016-02-15

© 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd. We report a study of high pressure x-ray absorption (XAS) performed in the partial fluorescence yield mode (PFY) at the U L 3 edge (0-28.2 GPa) and single crystal x-ray diffraction (SXD) (0-20 GPa) on the UCd 11 heavy fermion compound at room temperature. Under compression, the PFY-XAS results show that the white line is shifted by +4.1(3) eV at the highest applied pressure of 28.2 GPa indicating delocalization of the 5f electrons. The increase in full width at half maxima and decrease in relative amplitude of the white line with respect to the edgemore » jump point towards 6d band broadening under high pressure. A bulk modulus of K 0 = 62(1) GPa and its pressure derivative, = 4.9(2) was determined from high pressure SXD results. Both the PFY-XAS and diffraction results do not show any sign of a structural phase transition in the applied pressure range.« less

Competing forces in five-dimensional fermion condensation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoon, Jongmin; Peskin, Michael E.

We study fermion condensation in the Randall-Sundrum background as a setting for composite Higgs models. We formalize the computation of the Coleman-Weinberg potential and present a simple, general formula. Using this tool, we study the competition of fermion multiplets with different boundary conditions, to find conditions for creating a little hierarchy with the Higgs field expectation value much smaller than the intrinsic Randall-Sundrum mass scale.

Competing forces in five-dimensional fermion condensation

DOE PAGES

Yoon, Jongmin; Peskin, Michael E.

2017-12-27

We study fermion condensation in the Randall-Sundrum background as a setting for composite Higgs models. We formalize the computation of the Coleman-Weinberg potential and present a simple, general formula. Using this tool, we study the competition of fermion multiplets with different boundary conditions, to find conditions for creating a little hierarchy with the Higgs field expectation value much smaller than the intrinsic Randall-Sundrum mass scale.

Competing forces in five-dimensional fermion condensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Jongmin; Peskin, Michael E.

2017-12-01

We study fermion condensation in the Randall-Sundrum background as a setting for composite Higgs models. We formalize the computation of the Coleman-Weinberg potential and present a simple, general formula. Using this tool, we study the competition of fermion multiplets with different boundary conditions, to find conditions for creating a little hierarchy with the Higgs field expectation value much smaller than the intrinsic Randall-Sundrum mass scale.

Projective flatness in the quantisation of bosons and fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Siye

2015-07-01

We compare the quantisation of linear systems of bosons and fermions. We recall the appearance of projectively flat connection and results on parallel transport in the quantisation of bosons. We then discuss pre-quantisation and quantisation of fermions using the calculus of fermionic variables. We define a natural connection on the bundle of Hilbert spaces and show that it is projectively flat. This identifies, up to a phase, equivalent spinor representations constructed by various polarisations. We introduce the concept of metaplectic correction for fermions and show that the bundle of corrected Hilbert spaces is naturally flat. We then show that the parallel transport in the bundle of Hilbert spaces along a geodesic is a rescaled projection provided that the geodesic lies within the complement of a cut locus. Finally, we study the bundle of Hilbert spaces when there is a symmetry.

Majorana fermions and orthogonal complex structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calderón-García, J. S.; Reyes-Lega, A. F.

2018-05-01

Ground states of quadratic Hamiltonians for fermionic systems can be characterized in terms of orthogonal complex structures. The standard way in which such Hamiltonians are diagonalized makes use of a certain “doubling” of the Hilbert space. In this work, we show that this redundancy in the Hilbert space can be completely lifted if the relevant orthogonal structure is taken into account. Such an approach allows for a treatment of Majorana fermions which is both physically and mathematically transparent. Furthermore, an explicit connection between orthogonal complex structures and the topological ℤ2-invariant is given.

Composite fermions on a torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, Songyang; Wu, Ying-Hai; Jain, J. K.

2017-11-01

We achieve an explicit construction of the lowest Landau level (LLL) projected wave functions for composite fermions in the periodic (torus) geometry. To this end, we first demonstrate how the vortex attachment of the composite fermion (CF) theory can be accomplished in the torus geometry to produce the "unprojected" wave functions satisfying the correct (quasi)periodic boundary conditions. We then consider two methods for projecting these wave functions into the LLL. The direct projection produces valid wave functions but can be implemented only for very small systems. The more powerful and more useful projection method of Jain and Kamilla fails in the torus geometry because it does not preserve the periodic boundary conditions and thus takes us out of the original Hilbert space. We have succeeded in constructing a modified projection method that is consistent with both the periodic boundary conditions and the general structure of the CF theory. This method is valid for a large class of states of composite fermions, called "proper states," which includes the incompressible ground states at electron filling factors ν =n/2 p n +1 , their charged and neutral excitations, and also the quasidegenerate ground states at arbitrary filling factors of the form ν =ν/*2pν*+1 , where n and p are integers and ν* is the CF filling factor. Comparison with exact results known for small systems for the ground and excited states at filling factors ν =1 /3 , 2/5, and 3/7 demonstrates our LLL-projected wave functions to be extremely accurate representations of the actual Coulomb eigenstates. Our construction enables the study of large systems of composite fermions on the torus, thereby opening the possibility of investigating numerous interesting questions and phenomena.

Singlet fermionic dark matter with Veltman conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yeong Gyun; Lee, Kang Young; Nam, Soo-hyeon

2018-07-01

We reexamine a renormalizable model of a fermionic dark matter with a gauge singlet Dirac fermion and a real singlet scalar which can ameliorate the scalar mass hierarchy problem of the Standard Model (SM). Our model setup is the minimal extension of the SM for which a realistic dark matter (DM) candidate is provided and the cancellation of one-loop quadratic divergence to the scalar masses can be achieved by the Veltman condition (VC) simultaneously. This model extension, although renormalizable, can be considered as an effective low-energy theory valid up to cut-off energies about 10 TeV. We calculate the one-loop quadratic divergence contributions of the new scalar and fermionic DM singlets, and constrain the model parameters using the VC and the perturbative unitarity conditions. Taking into account the invisible Higgs decay measurement, we show the allowed region of new physics parameters satisfying the recent measurement of relic abundance. With the obtained parameter set, we predict the elastic scattering cross section of the new singlet fermion into target nuclei for a direct detection of the dark matter. We also perform the full analysis with arbitrary set of parameters without the VC as a comparison, and discuss the implication of the constraints by the VC in detail.

Investigation of the commensurate magnetic structure in the heavy-fermion compound CePt 2 In 7 using magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gauthier, Nicolas; Wermeille, Didier; Casati, Nicola

In this paper, we investigated the magnetic structure of the heavy-fermion compound CePt 2In 7 below T N = 5.34 (2) K using magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction at ambient pressure. The magnetic order is characterized by a commensurate propagation vector k 1/2 = (1/2, 1/2, 1/2) with spins lying in the basal plane. Our measurements did not reveal the presence of an incommensurate order propagating along the high-symmetry directions in reciprocal space but cannot exclude other incommensurate modulations or weak scattering intensities. The observed commensurate order can be described equivalently by either a single-k structure or by a multi-k structure.more » Furthermore we explain how a commensurate-only ordering may explain the broad distribution of internal fields observed in nuclear quadrupolar resonance experiments [Sakai et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 140408 (2011)] that was previously attributed to an incommensurate order. We also report powder x-ray diffraction showing that the crystallographic structure of CePt 2In 7 changes monotonically with pressure up to P = 7.3 GPa at room temperature. The determined bulk modulus B 0 = 81.1 (3) GPa is similar to those of the Ce-115 family. Broad diffraction peaks confirm the presence of pronounced strain in polycrystalline samples of CePt 2In 7. Lastly, we discuss how strain effects can lead to different electronic and magnetic properties between polycrystalline and single crystal samples.« less

Investigation of the commensurate magnetic structure in the heavy-fermion compound CePt 2 In 7 using magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction

DOE PAGES

Gauthier, Nicolas; Wermeille, Didier; Casati, Nicola; ...

2017-08-10

In this paper, we investigated the magnetic structure of the heavy-fermion compound CePt 2In 7 below T N = 5.34 (2) K using magnetic resonant x-ray diffraction at ambient pressure. The magnetic order is characterized by a commensurate propagation vector k 1/2 = (1/2, 1/2, 1/2) with spins lying in the basal plane. Our measurements did not reveal the presence of an incommensurate order propagating along the high-symmetry directions in reciprocal space but cannot exclude other incommensurate modulations or weak scattering intensities. The observed commensurate order can be described equivalently by either a single-k structure or by a multi-k structure.more » Furthermore we explain how a commensurate-only ordering may explain the broad distribution of internal fields observed in nuclear quadrupolar resonance experiments [Sakai et al., Phys. Rev. B 83, 140408 (2011)] that was previously attributed to an incommensurate order. We also report powder x-ray diffraction showing that the crystallographic structure of CePt 2In 7 changes monotonically with pressure up to P = 7.3 GPa at room temperature. The determined bulk modulus B 0 = 81.1 (3) GPa is similar to those of the Ce-115 family. Broad diffraction peaks confirm the presence of pronounced strain in polycrystalline samples of CePt 2In 7. Lastly, we discuss how strain effects can lead to different electronic and magnetic properties between polycrystalline and single crystal samples.« less

Taste symmetry breaking with hypercubic-smeared staggered fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bae, Taegil; Adams, David H.; Kim, Hyung-Jin

2008-05-01

We study the impact of hypercubic (HYP) smearing on the size of taste-breaking for staggered fermions, comparing to unimproved and to asqtad-improved staggered fermions. As in previous studies, we find a substantial reduction in taste-breaking compared to unimproved staggered fermions (by a factor of 4-7 on lattices with spacing a{approx_equal}0.1 fm). In addition, we observe that discretization effects of next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion (O(a{sup 2}p{sup 2})) are markedly reduced by HYP smearing. Compared to asqtad valence fermions, we find that taste-breaking in the pion spectrum is reduced by a factor of 2.5-3, down to a level comparable tomore » the expected size of generic O(a{sup 2}) effects. Our results suggest that, once one reaches a lattice spacing of a{approx_equal}0.09 fm, taste-breaking will be small enough after HYP smearing that one can use a modified power counting in which O(a{sup 2})<

Minimally doubled fermions and spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmanaj (Zeqirllari), Rudina; Hyka (Xhako), Dafina

2018-03-01

Chiral symmetry breaking in massless QCD is a very important feature in the current understanding of low energy physics. Low - lying Dirac modes are suitable to help us understand the spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, since the formation of a non zero chiral condensate is an effect of their accumulation near zero. The Banks - Casher relation links the spectral density of the Dirac operator to the condensate with an identity that can be read in both directions. In this work we propose a spectral method to achieve a reliable determination of the density of eigenvalues of Dirac operator near zero using the Gauss - Lanczos quadrature. In order to understand better the dynamical chiral symmetry breaking and use the method we propose, we have chosen to work with minimally doubled fermions. These kind of fermions have been proposed as a strictly local discretization of the QCD fermions action, which preserves chiral symmetry at finite cut-off. Being chiral fermions, is easier to work with them and their low - lying Dirac modes and to understand the dynamical spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking.

Numerical studies of a model fermion-boson system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, T.; Gospodarczyk, E. R.; Su, Q.; Grobe, R.

2010-02-01

We study the spectral and dynamical properties of a simplified model system of interacting fermions and bosons. The spatial discretization and an effective truncation of the Hilbert space permit us to compute the distribution of the bare fermions and bosons in the energy eigenstates of the coupled system. These states represent the physical particles and are used to examine the validity of the analytical predictions by perturbation theory and by the Greenberg-Schweber approximation that assumes all fermions are at rest. As an example of our numerical framework, we examine how a bare electron can trigger the creation of a cloud of virtual bosons around. We relate this cloud to the properties of the associated energy eigenstates.

Fermionic entanglement in superconducting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Tullio, M.; Gigena, N.; Rossignoli, R.

2018-06-01

We examine distinct measures of fermionic entanglement in the exact ground state of a finite superconducting system. It is first shown that global measures such as the one-body entanglement entropy, which represents the minimum relative entropy between the exact ground state and the set of fermionic Gaussian states, exhibit a close correlation with the BCS gap, saturating in the strong superconducting regime. The same behavior is displayed by the bipartite entanglement between the set of all single-particle states k of positive quasimomenta and their time-reversed partners k ¯. In contrast, the entanglement associated with the reduced density matrix of four single-particle modes k ,k ¯ , k',k¯' , which can be measured through a properly defined fermionic concurrence, exhibits a different behavior, showing a peak in the vicinity of the superconducting transition for states k ,k' close to the Fermi level and becoming small in the strong coupling regime. In the latter, such reduced state exhibits, instead, a finite mutual information and quantum discord. While the first measures can be correctly estimated with the BCS approximation, the previous four-level concurrence lies strictly beyond the latter, requiring at least a particle-number projected BCS treatment for its description. Formal properties of all previous entanglement measures are as well discussed.

Dirac Fermions in an Antiferromagnetic Semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Peizhe; Zhou, Quan; Xu, Gang; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; Shou-Cheng Zhang's Group Team, Prof.

Analogues of the elementary particles have been extensively searched for in condensed matter systems for both scientific interest and technological applications. Recently, massless Dirac fermions were found to emerge as low energy excitations in materials now known as Dirac semimetals. All the currently known Dirac semimetals are nonmagnetic with both time-reversal symmetry  and inversion symmetry "". Here we show that Dirac fermions can exist in one type of antiferromagnetic systems, where both  and "" are broken but their combination "" is respected. We propose orthorhombic antiferromagnet CuMnAs as a candidate, analyze the robustness of the Dirac points under symmetry protections, and demonstrate its distinctive bulk dispersions as well as the corresponding surface states by ab initio calculations. Our results provide a possible platform to study the interplay of Dirac fermion physics and magnetism. We acknowledge the DOE, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under contract DE-AC02-76SF00515, NSF under Grant No.DMR-1305677 and FAME, one of six centers of STARnet.

Fidelity Witnesses for Fermionic Quantum Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gluza, M.; Kliesch, M.; Eisert, J.; Aolita, L.

2018-05-01

The experimental interest and developments in quantum spin-1 /2 chains has increased uninterruptedly over the past decade. In many instances, the target quantum simulation belongs to the broader class of noninteracting fermionic models, constituting an important benchmark. In spite of this class being analytically efficiently tractable, no direct certification tool has yet been reported for it. In fact, in experiments, certification has almost exclusively relied on notions of quantum state tomography scaling very unfavorably with the system size. Here, we develop experimentally friendly fidelity witnesses for all pure fermionic Gaussian target states. Their expectation value yields a tight lower bound to the fidelity and can be measured efficiently. We derive witnesses in full generality in the Majorana-fermion representation and apply them to experimentally relevant spin-1 /2 chains. Among others, we show how to efficiently certify strongly out-of-equilibrium dynamics in critical Ising chains. At the heart of the measurement scheme is a variant of importance sampling specially tailored to overlaps between covariance matrices. The method is shown to be robust against finite experimental-state infidelities.

Mixtures of Bosonic and Fermionic atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albus, Alexander

2003-12-01

The theory of atomic Boson-Fermion mixtures in the dilute limit beyond mean-field is considered in this thesis. Extending the formalism of quantum field theory we derived expressions for the quasi-particle excitation spectra, the ground state energy, and related quantities for a homogenous system to first order in the dilute gas parameter. In the framework of density functional theory we could carry over the previous results to inhomogeneous systems. We then determined to density distributions for various parameter values and identified three different phase regions: (i) a stable mixed regime, (ii) a phase separated regime, and (iii) a collapsed regime. We found a significant contribution of exchange-correlation effects in the latter case. Next, we determined the shift of the Bose-Einstein condensation temperature caused by Boson-Fermion interactions in a harmonic trap due to redistribution of the density profiles. We then considered Boson-Fermion mixtures in optical lattices. We calculated the criterion for stability against phase separation, identified the Mott-insulating and superfluid regimes both, analytically within a mean-field calculation, and numerically by virtue of a Gutzwiller Ansatz. We also found new frustrated ground states in the limit of very strong lattices. ----Anmerkung: Der Autor ist Träger des durch die Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin vergebenen Carl-Ramsauer-Preises 2004 für die jeweils beste Dissertation der vier Universitäten Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin und Universität Potsdam. Ziel der Arbeit war die systematische theoretische Behandlung von Gemischen aus bosonischen und fermionischen Atomen in einem Parameterbereich, der sich zur Beschreibung von aktuellen Experimenten mit ultra-kalten atomaren Gasen eignet. Zuerst wurde der Formalismus der Quantenfeldtheorie auf homogene, atomare Boson-Fermion Gemische erweitert, um grundlegende Größen wie Quasiteilchenspektren

A Clifford algebra approach to chiral symmetry breaking and fermion mass hierarchies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wei

2017-09-01

We propose a Clifford algebra approach to chiral symmetry breaking and fermion mass hierarchies in the context of composite Higgs bosons. Standard model fermions are represented by algebraic spinors of six-dimensional binary Clifford algebra, while ternary Clifford algebra-related flavor projection operators control allowable flavor-mixing interactions. There are three composite electroweak Higgs bosons resulted from top quark, tau neutrino, and tau lepton condensations. Each of the three condensations gives rise to masses of four different fermions. The fermion mass hierarchies within these three groups are determined by four-fermion condensations, which break two global chiral symmetries. The four-fermion condensations induce axion-like pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone bosons and can be dark matter candidates. In addition to the 125 GeV Higgs boson observed at the Large Hadron Collider, we anticipate detection of tau neutrino composite Higgs boson via the charm quark decay channel.

Vacuum Cherenkov radiation for Lorentz-violating fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreck, M.

2017-11-01

The current work focuses on the process of vacuum Cherenkov radiation for Lorentz-violating fermions that are described by the minimal standard-model extension (SME). To date, most considerations of this important hypothetical process have been restricted to Lorentz-violating photons, as the necessary theoretical tools for the SME fermion sector have not been available. With their development in a very recent paper, we are now in a position to compute the decay rates based on a modified Dirac theory. Two realizations of the Cherenkov process are studied. In the first scenario, the spin projection of the incoming fermion is assumed to be conserved, and in the second, the spin projection is allowed to flip. The first type of process is shown to be still forbidden for the dimensionful a and b coefficients where there are strong indications that it is energetically disallowed for the H coefficients, as well. However, it is rendered possible for the dimensionless c , d , e , f , and g coefficients. For large initial fermion energies, the decay rates for the c and d coefficients were found to grow linearly with momentum and to be linearly suppressed by the smallness of the Lorentz-violating coefficient where for the e , f , and g coefficients this suppression is even quadratic. The decay rates vanish in the vicinity of the threshold, as expected. The decay including a fermion spin-flip plays a role for the spin-nondegenerate operators and it was found to occur for the dimensionful b and H coefficients as well as for the dimensionless d and g . The characteristics of this process differ much from the properties of the spin-conserving one, e.g., there is no threshold. Based on experimental data of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays, new constraints on Lorentz violation in the quark sector are obtained from the thresholds. However, it does not seem to be possible to derive bounds from the spin-flip decays. This work reveals the usefulness of the quantum field theoretic methods

Perturbative quantum field theory in the framework of the fermionic projector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finster, Felix

2014-04-01

We give a microscopic derivation of perturbative quantum field theory, taking causal fermion systems and the framework of the fermionic projector as the starting point. The resulting quantum field theory agrees with standard quantum field theory on the tree level and reproduces all bosonic loop diagrams. The fermion loops are described in a different formalism in which no ultraviolet divergences occur.

Entanglement negativity bounds for fermionic Gaussian states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisert, Jens; Eisler, Viktor; Zimborás, Zoltán

2018-04-01

The entanglement negativity is a versatile measure of entanglement that has numerous applications in quantum information and in condensed matter theory. It can not only efficiently be computed in the Hilbert space dimension, but for noninteracting bosonic systems, one can compute the negativity efficiently in the number of modes. However, such an efficient computation does not carry over to the fermionic realm, the ultimate reason for this being that the partial transpose of a fermionic Gaussian state is no longer Gaussian. To provide a remedy for this state of affairs, in this work, we introduce efficiently computable and rigorous upper and lower bounds to the negativity, making use of techniques of semidefinite programming, building upon the Lagrangian formulation of fermionic linear optics, and exploiting suitable products of Gaussian operators. We discuss examples in quantum many-body theory and hint at applications in the study of topological properties at finite temperature.

Simple Z2 lattice gauge theories at finite fermion density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prosko, Christian; Lee, Shu-Ping; Maciejko, Joseph

2017-11-01

Lattice gauge theories are a powerful language to theoretically describe a variety of strongly correlated systems, including frustrated magnets, high-Tc superconductors, and topological phases. However, in many cases gauge fields couple to gapless matter degrees of freedom, and such theories become notoriously difficult to analyze quantitatively. In this paper we study several examples of Z2 lattice gauge theories with gapless fermions at finite density, in one and two spatial dimensions, that are either exactly soluble or whose solution reduces to that of a known problem. We consider complex fermions (spinless and spinful) as well as Majorana fermions and study both theories where Gauss' law is strictly imposed and those where all background charge sectors are kept in the physical Hilbert space. We use a combination of duality mappings and the Z2 slave-spin representation to map our gauge theories to models of gauge-invariant fermions that are either free, or with on-site interactions of the Hubbard or Falicov-Kimball type that are amenable to further analysis. In 1D, the phase diagrams of these theories include free-fermion metals, insulators, and superconductors, Luttinger liquids, and correlated insulators. In 2D, we find a variety of gapped and gapless phases, the latter including uniform and spatially modulated flux phases featuring emergent Dirac fermions, some violating Luttinger's theorem.

Staggered fermions, zero modes, and flavor-singlet mesons

DOE PAGES

Donald, Gordon C; Davies, Christine T.H.; Follana, Eduardo; ...

2011-09-12

We examine the taste structure of eigenvectors of the staggered-fermion Dirac operator. We derive a set of conditions on the eigenvectors of modes with small eigenvalues (near-zero modes), such that staggered fermions reproduce the 't Hooft vertex in the continuum limit. We also show that, assuming these conditions, the correlators of flavor-singlet mesons are free of contributions singular in 1/m, where m is the quark mass. This conclusion holds also when a single flavor of sea quark is represented by the fourth root of the staggered-fermion determinant. We then test numerically, using the HISQ action, whether these conditions hold onmore » realistic lattice gauge fields. We find that the needed structure does indeed emerge.« less

Multiple Types of Topological Fermions in Transition Metal Silicides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tang, Peizhe; Zhou, Quan; Zhang, Shou -Cheng

Exotic massless fermionic excitations with nonzero Berry flux, other than the Dirac and Weyl fermions, could exist in condensed matter systems under the protection of crystalline symmetries, such as spin-1 excitations with threefold degeneracy and spin-3/2 Rarita-Schwinger-Weyl fermions. Herein, by using the ab initio density functional theory, we show that these unconventional quasiparticles coexist with type-I and type-II Weyl fermions in a family of transition metal silicides, including CoSi, RhSi, RhGe, and CoGe, when spin-orbit coupling is considered. Their nontrivial topology results in a series of extensive Fermi arcs connecting projections of these bulk excitations on the side surface, whichmore » is confirmed by (001) surface electronic spectra of CoSi. Additionally, these stable arc states exist within a wide energy window around the Fermi level, which makes them readily accessible in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements.« less

Multiple Types of Topological Fermions in Transition Metal Silicides

DOE PAGES

Tang, Peizhe; Zhou, Quan; Zhang, Shou -Cheng

2017-11-17

Exotic massless fermionic excitations with nonzero Berry flux, other than the Dirac and Weyl fermions, could exist in condensed matter systems under the protection of crystalline symmetries, such as spin-1 excitations with threefold degeneracy and spin-3/2 Rarita-Schwinger-Weyl fermions. Herein, by using the ab initio density functional theory, we show that these unconventional quasiparticles coexist with type-I and type-II Weyl fermions in a family of transition metal silicides, including CoSi, RhSi, RhGe, and CoGe, when spin-orbit coupling is considered. Their nontrivial topology results in a series of extensive Fermi arcs connecting projections of these bulk excitations on the side surface, whichmore » is confirmed by (001) surface electronic spectra of CoSi. Additionally, these stable arc states exist within a wide energy window around the Fermi level, which makes them readily accessible in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements.« less

Understanding the magnetism in noncentrosymmetric CeIrGe3: Muon spin relaxation and neutron scattering studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, V. K.; Hillier, A. D.; Adroja, D. T.; Khalyavin, D. D.; Manuel, P.; Andre, G.; Rols, S.; Koza, M. M.

2018-05-01

The magnetic properties of a pressure induced noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion superconductor CeIrGe3 have been investigated by muon spin relaxation (μ SR ), powder neutron diffraction (ND), and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) techniques at ambient pressure. For completeness we have also measured the ac magnetic susceptibility χac(T ) , dc magnetic susceptibility χ (T ) , dc isothermal magnetization M (H ) , and heat capacity Cp(T ,H ) down to 2 K. CeIrGe3 is known to exhibit pressure induced superconductivity (Tc≈1.5 K) at a pressure of 20 GPa and antiferromagnetic ordering at 8.7 K, 4.7 K, and 0.7 K at ambient pressure. Our χac(T ) and χ (T ) data show an additional anomaly near 6.2 K which is also captured in Cp(T ) data. From χac(T ) , χ (T ) , and Cp(T ) measurements we infer three antiferromagnetic transitions above 2 K at TN 1=8.5 K, TN 2=6.0 K, and TN 3=4.6 K. Our μ SR study also confirms the presence of three transitions through the observation of one frequency for TN 2IrGe3.

Quantization of set theory and generalization of the fermion algebra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arik, M.; Tekin, S. C.

2002-05-01

The quantum states of a d-dimensional fermion algebra are in one to one correspondence with the subsets of a d-element universal set. In this paper we use this set theoretical motivation to construct a one-parameter deformation of the fermion algebra and extend it to a d-dimensional generalization which is invariant under the group U(d). This discrete fermionic oscillator system is extended to the continuous case. We also show that the q-deformation of these systems is related to supercovariant q-oscillators.

Scaled lattice fermion fields, stability bounds, and regularity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Carroll, Michael; Faria da Veiga, Paulo A.

2018-02-01

We consider locally gauge-invariant lattice quantum field theory models with locally scaled Wilson-Fermi fields in d = 1, 2, 3, 4 spacetime dimensions. The use of scaled fermions preserves Osterwalder-Seiler positivity and the spectral content of the models (the decay rates of correlations are unchanged in the infinite lattice). In addition, it also results in less singular, more regular behavior in the continuum limit. Precisely, we treat general fermionic gauge and purely fermionic lattice models in an imaginary-time functional integral formulation. Starting with a hypercubic finite lattice Λ ⊂(aZ ) d, a ∈ (0, 1], and considering the partition function of non-Abelian and Abelian gauge models (the free fermion case is included) neglecting the pure gauge interactions, we obtain stability bounds uniformly in the lattice spacing a ∈ (0, 1]. These bounds imply, at least in the subsequential sense, the existence of the thermodynamic (Λ ↗ (aZ ) d) and the continuum (a ↘ 0) limits. Specializing to the U(1) gauge group, the known non-intersecting loop expansion for the d = 2 partition function is extended to d = 3 and the thermodynamic limit of the free energy is shown to exist with a bound independent of a ∈ (0, 1]. In the case of scaled free Fermi fields (corresponding to a trivial gauge group with only the identity element), spectral representations are obtained for the partition function, free energy, and correlations. The thermodynamic and continuum limits of the free fermion free energy are shown to exist. The thermodynamic limit of n-point correlations also exist with bounds independent of the point locations and a ∈ (0, 1], and with no n! dependence. Also, a time-zero Hilbert-Fock space is constructed, as well as time-zero, spatially pointwise scaled fermion creation operators which are shown to be norm bounded uniformly in a ∈ (0, 1]. The use of our scaled fields since the beginning allows us to extract and isolate the singularities of the free

Emission of fermions in little string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorente-Espín, Oscar

2013-03-01

It is well known that little string theory (LST) black holes radiate a purely thermal spectrum of scalar particles. This theory lives in a Hagedorn phase with a fixed Hagedorn temperature that does not depend on its mass. Therefore, the theory keeps a thermal profile even taking into account self-gravitating effects and the backreaction of the metric. This has implications concerning the information loss paradox; one would not be able to recover any information from the LST black hole since the emission of scalar particles is totally uncorrelated. Several studies of the emission spectrum in LST concern scalar fields; it is our aim in this work to extend the study to the emission of fermions in order to verify that the most relevant conclusion for the scalar field remains valid for the fermion fields. Thus, we have calculated the emission probability, the flux, and also the greybody factor corresponding to a fermion field in LST background.

Lorentz-violating type-II Dirac fermions in transition metal dichalcogenide PtTe2.

PubMed

Yan, Mingzhe; Huang, Huaqing; Zhang, Kenan; Wang, Eryin; Yao, Wei; Deng, Ke; Wan, Guoliang; Zhang, Hongyun; Arita, Masashi; Yang, Haitao; Sun, Zhe; Yao, Hong; Wu, Yang; Fan, Shoushan; Duan, Wenhui; Zhou, Shuyun

2017-08-15

Topological semimetals have recently attracted extensive research interests as host materials to condensed matter physics counterparts of Dirac and Weyl fermions originally proposed in high energy physics. Although Lorentz invariance is required in high energy physics, it is not necessarily obeyed in condensed matter physics, and thus Lorentz-violating type-II Weyl/Dirac fermions could be realized in topological semimetals. The recent realization of type-II Weyl fermions raises the question whether their spin-degenerate counterpart-type-II Dirac fermions-can be experimentally realized too. Here, we report the experimental evidence of type-II Dirac fermions in bulk stoichiometric PtTe 2 single crystal. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and first-principles calculations reveal a pair of strongly tilted Dirac cones along the Γ-A direction, confirming PtTe 2 as a type-II Dirac semimetal. Our results provide opportunities for investigating novel quantum phenomena (e.g., anisotropic magneto-transport) and topological phase transition.Whether the spin-degenerate counterpart of Lorentz-violating Weyl fermions, the Dirac fermions, can be realized remains as an open question. Here, Yan et al. report experimental evidence of such type-II Dirac fermions in bulk PtTe 2 single crystal with a pair of strongly tilted Dirac cones.

Momentum-space cluster dual-fermion method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iskakov, Sergei; Terletska, Hanna; Gull, Emanuel

2018-03-01

Recent years have seen the development of two types of nonlocal extensions to the single-site dynamical mean field theory. On one hand, cluster approximations, such as the dynamical cluster approximation, recover short-range momentum-dependent correlations nonperturbatively. On the other hand, diagrammatic extensions, such as the dual-fermion theory, recover long-ranged corrections perturbatively. The correct treatment of both strong short-ranged and weak long-ranged correlations within the same framework is therefore expected to lead to a quick convergence of results, and offers the potential of obtaining smooth self-energies in nonperturbative regimes of phase space. In this paper, we present an exact cluster dual-fermion method based on an expansion around the dynamical cluster approximation. Unlike previous formulations, our method does not employ a coarse-graining approximation to the interaction, which we show to be the leading source of error at high temperature, and converges to the exact result independently of the size of the underlying cluster. We illustrate the power of the method with results for the second-order cluster dual-fermion approximation to the single-particle self-energies and double occupancies.

Fermion localization and resonances on a de Sitter thick brane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu Yuxiao; Yang Jie; Zhao Zhenhua

2009-09-15

In C. A. S. Almeida, R. Casana, M. M. Ferreira, Jr., and A. R. Gomes, Phys. Rev. D 79, 125022 (2009), the simplest Yukawa coupling {eta}{psi}{phi}{chi}{psi} was considered for a two-scalar-generated Bloch brane model. Fermionic resonances for both chiralities were obtained, and their appearance is related to branes with internal structure. Inspired on this result, we investigate the localization and resonance spectrum of fermions on a one-scalar-generated de Sitter thick brane with a class of scalar-fermion couplings {eta}{psi}{phi}{sup k}{psi} with positive odd integer k. A set of massive fermionic resonances for both chiralities is obtained when provided large coupling constantmore » {eta}. We find that the masses and lifetimes of left and right chiral resonances are almost the same, which demonstrates that it is possible to compose massive Dirac fermions from the left and right chiral resonances. The resonance with lower mass has longer lifetime. For a same set of parameters, the number of resonances increases with k and the lifetime of the lower level resonance for larger k is much longer than the one for smaller k.« less

Fermion bag approach to Hamiltonian lattice field theories in continuous time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huffman, Emilie; Chandrasekharan, Shailesh

2017-12-01

We extend the idea of fermion bags to Hamiltonian lattice field theories in the continuous time formulation. Using a class of models we argue that the temperature is a parameter that splits the fermion dynamics into small spatial regions that can be used to identify fermion bags. Using this idea we construct a continuous time quantum Monte Carlo algorithm and compute critical exponents in the 3 d Ising Gross-Neveu universality class using a single flavor of massless Hamiltonian staggered fermions. We find η =0.54 (6 ) and ν =0.88 (2 ) using lattices up to N =2304 sites. We argue that even sizes up to N =10 ,000 sites should be accessible with supercomputers available today.

Submerged arc welding of heavy plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. A.

1972-01-01

The submerged arc process is particularly suitable for heavy plate welding because of its ability to combine very high deposit rates along with excellent quality. It does these things without the smoke and spatter often accompanying other processes. It is available today in several forms that are pointed to the fabricators of heavy sections with long, short or round about welds. Tandem arc full automatic equipment is particularly suitable for those long heavy welds where speed and deposit rate are of the first order. An attachment called long stick-out which makes use of the IR drop on long electrode extensions can be included on this equipment to increase deposition rates 50% or more.

Search for heavy lepton partners of neutrinos in proton–proton collisions in the context of the type III seesaw mechanism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chatrchyan, S.; Khachatryan, V.; Sirunyan, A. M.

A search is presented in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV for fermionic triplet states expected in type III seesaw models. The search is performed using final states with three isolated charged leptons and an imbalance in transverse momentum. The data, collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 inverse femtobarns. No excess of events is observed above the background predicted by the standard model, and the results are interpreted in terms of limits on production cross sections and masses of the heavy partners of the neutrinos in type III seesaw models.more » Depending on the considered scenarios, lower limits are obtained on the mass of the heavy partner of the neutrino that range from 180 to 210 GeV. These are the first limits on the production of type III seesaw fermionic triplet states reported by an experiment at the LHC.« less

Free-fermion descriptions of parafermion chains and string-net models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meichanetzidis, Konstantinos; Turner, Christopher J.; Farjami, Ashk; Papić, Zlatko; Pachos, Jiannis K.

2018-03-01

Topological phases of matter remain a focus of interest due to their unique properties: fractionalization, ground-state degeneracy, and exotic excitations. While some of these properties can occur in systems of free fermions, their emergence is generally associated with interactions between particles. Here, we quantify the role of interactions in general classes of topological states of matter in one and two spatial dimensions, including parafermion chains and string-net models. Surprisingly, we find that certain topological states can be exactly described by free fermions, while others saturate the maximum possible distance from their optimal free-fermion description [C. J. Turner et al., Nat. Commun. 8, 14926 (2017), 10.1038/ncomms14926]. Our work opens the door to understanding the complexity of topological models by establishing new types of fermionization procedures to describe their low-energy physics, thus making them amenable to experimental realizations.

Minimally doubled fermions at one loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capitani, Stefano; Weber, Johannes; Wittig, Hartmut

2009-10-01

Minimally doubled fermions have been proposed as a cost-effective realization of chiral symmetry at non-zero lattice spacing. Using lattice perturbation theory at one loop, we study their renormalization properties. Specifically, we investigate the consequences of the breaking of hyper-cubic symmetry, which is a typical feature of this class of fermionic discretizations. Our results for the quark self-energy indicate that the four-momentum undergoes a renormalization which is linearly divergent. We also compute renormalization factors for quark bilinears, construct the conserved vector and axial-vector currents and verify that at one loop the renormalization factors of the latter are equal to one.

Impaired Insulin Signaling is Associated with Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction in IR+/--IRS-1+/- Double Heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) Mice.

PubMed

Franko, Andras; Kunze, Alexander; Böse, Marlen; von Kleist-Retzow, Jürgen-Christoph; Paulsson, Mats; Hartmann, Ursula; Wiesner, Rudolf J

2017-05-30

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in energy metabolism, but whether insulin signaling per se could regulate mitochondrial function has not been identified yet. To investigate whether mitochondrial function is regulated by insulin signaling, we analyzed muscle and liver of insulin receptor (IR) +/- -insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) +/- double heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) mice, a well described model for insulin resistance. IR-IRS1dh mice were studied at the age of 6 and 12 months and glucose metabolism was determined by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Mitochondrial enzyme activities, oxygen consumption, and membrane potential were assessed using spectrophotometric, respirometric, and proton motive force analysis, respectively. IR-IRS1dh mice showed elevated serum insulin levels. Hepatic mitochondrial oxygen consumption was reduced in IR-IRS1dh animals at 12 months of age. Furthermore, 6-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice demonstrated enhanced mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle, but a tendency of impaired glucose tolerance. On the other hand, 12-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice showed improved glucose tolerance, but normal muscle mitochondrial function. Our data revealed that deficiency in IR/IRS-1 resulted in normal or even elevated skeletal muscle, but impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, suggesting a direct cross-talk between insulin signaling and mitochondria in the liver.

Spectral properties of four-time fermionic Green's functions

DOE PAGES

Shvaika, A. M.

2016-09-01

The spectral relations for the four-time fermionic Green's functions are derived in the most general case. The terms which correspond to the zero-frequency anomalies, known before only for the bosonic Green's functions, are separated and their connection with the second cumulants of the Boltzmann distribution function is elucidated. Furthermore, the high-frequency expansions of the four-time fermionic Green's functions are provided for different directions in the frequency space.

Spectral properties of four-time fermionic Green's functions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shvaika, A. M.

The spectral relations for the four-time fermionic Green's functions are derived in the most general case. The terms which correspond to the zero-frequency anomalies, known before only for the bosonic Green's functions, are separated and their connection with the second cumulants of the Boltzmann distribution function is elucidated. Furthermore, the high-frequency expansions of the four-time fermionic Green's functions are provided for different directions in the frequency space.

Embedding A4 into left-right flavor symmetry: Tribimaximal neutrino mixing and fermion hierarchy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazzocchi, F.; Morisi, S.; Picariello, M.

2008-01-01

We address two fundamental aspects of flavor physics: the mass hierarchy and the large lepton mixing angles. On one side, left-right flavor symmetry realizes the democratic mass matrix patterns and explains why one family is much heavier than the others. On the other side, discrete flavor symmetry such as A4 leads to the observed tribimaximal mixing for the leptons. We show that, by explicitly breaking the left-right flavor symmetry into the diagonal A4, it is possible to explain both the observed charged fermion mass hierarchies and quark and lepton mixing angles. In particular we predict a heavy 3rd family, the tribimaximal mixing for the leptons, and we suggest a possible origin of the Cabibbo and other mixing angles for the quarks.

State sum constructions of spin-TFTs and string net constructions of fermionic phases of matter

DOE PAGES

Bhardwaj, Lakshya; Gaiotto, Davide; Kapustin, Anton

2017-04-18

It is possible to describe fermionic phases of matter and spin-topological field theories in 2+1d in terms of bosonic “shadow” theories, which are obtained from the original theory by “gauging fermionic parity”. Furthemore, the fermionic/spin theories are recovered from their shadow by a process of fermionic anyon condensation: gauging a one-form symmetry generated by quasi-particles with fermionic statistics. We apply the formalism to theories which admit gapped boundary conditions. We obtain Turaev-Viro-like and Levin-Wen-like constructions of fermionic phases of matter. Here, we describe the group structure of fermionic SPT phases protected by Z 2f × G. The quaternion group makesmore » a surprise appearance.« less

Multipartite entanglement in fermionic systems via a geometric measure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lari, Behzad; Durganandini, P.; Joag, Pramod S.

2010-12-01

We study multipartite entanglement in a system consisting of indistinguishable fermions. Specifically, we have proposed a geometric entanglement measure for N spin-(1)/(2) fermions distributed over 2L modes (single-particle states). The measure is defined on the 2L qubit space isomorphic to the Fock space for 2L single-particle states. This entanglement measure is defined for a given partition of 2L modes containing m⩾2 subsets. Thus this measure applies to m⩽2L partite fermionic systems where L is any finite number, giving the number of sites. The Hilbert spaces associated with these subsets may have different dimensions. Further, we have defined the local quantum operations with respect to a given partition of modes. This definition is generic and unifies different ways of dividing a fermionic system into subsystems. We have shown, using a representative case, that the geometric measure is invariant under local unitary operators corresponding to a given partition. We explicitly demonstrate the use of the measure to calculate multipartite entanglement in some correlated electron systems.

Coupled kinetic equations for fermions and bosons in the relaxation-time approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Florkowski, Wojciech; Maksymiuk, Ewa; Ryblewski, Radoslaw

2018-02-01

Kinetic equations for fermions and bosons are solved numerically in the relaxation-time approximation for the case of one-dimensional boost-invariant geometry. Fermions are massive and carry baryon number, while bosons are massless. The conservation laws for the baryon number, energy, and momentum lead to two Landau matching conditions, which specify the coupling between the fermionic and bosonic sectors and determine the proper-time dependence of the effective temperature and baryon chemical potential of the system. The numerical results illustrate how a nonequilibrium mixture of fermions and bosons approaches hydrodynamic regime described by the Navier-Stokes equations with appropriate forms of the kinetic coefficients. The shear viscosity of a mixture is the sum of the shear viscosities of fermion and boson components, while the bulk viscosity is given by the formula known for a gas of fermions, however, with the thermodynamic variables characterising the mixture. Thus, we find that massless bosons contribute in a nontrivial way to the bulk viscosity of a mixture, provided fermions are massive. We further observe the hydrodynamization effect, which takes place earlier in the shear sector than in the bulk one. The numerical studies of the ratio of the longitudinal and transverse pressures show, to a good approximation, that it depends on the ratio of the relaxation and proper times only. This behavior is connected with the existence of an attractor solution for conformal systems.

Majorana fermion surface code for universal quantum computation

DOE PAGES

Vijay, Sagar; Hsieh, Timothy H.; Fu, Liang

2015-12-10

In this study, we introduce an exactly solvable model of interacting Majorana fermions realizing Z 2 topological order with a Z 2 fermion parity grading and lattice symmetries permuting the three fundamental anyon types. We propose a concrete physical realization by utilizing quantum phase slips in an array of Josephson-coupled mesoscopic topological superconductors, which can be implemented in a wide range of solid-state systems, including topological insulators, nanowires, or two-dimensional electron gases, proximitized by s-wave superconductors. Our model finds a natural application as a Majorana fermion surface code for universal quantum computation, with a single-step stabilizer measurement requiring no physicalmore » ancilla qubits, increased error tolerance, and simpler logical gates than a surface code with bosonic physical qubits. We thoroughly discuss protocols for stabilizer measurements, encoding and manipulating logical qubits, and gate implementations.« less

Anisotropic Weyl fermions from the quasiparticle excitation spectrum of a 3D Fulde-Ferrell superfluid.

PubMed

Xu, Yong; Chu, Rui-Lin; Zhang, Chuanwei

2014-04-04

Weyl fermions, first proposed for describing massless chiral Dirac fermions in particle physics, have not been observed yet in experiments. Recently, much effort has been devoted to explore Weyl fermions around band touching points of single-particle energy dispersions in certain solid state materials (named Weyl semimetals), similar as graphene for Dirac fermions. Here we show that such Weyl semimetals also exist in the quasiparticle excitation spectrum of a three-dimensional spin-orbit-coupled Fulde-Ferrell superfluid. By varying Zeeman fields, the properties of Weyl fermions, such as their creation and annihilation, number and position, as well as anisotropic linear dispersions around band touching points, can be tuned. We study the manifestation of anisotropic Weyl fermions in sound speeds of Fulde-Ferrell fermionic superfluids, which are detectable in experiments.

Direct optical detection of Weyl fermion chirality in a topological semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Qiong; Xu, Su-Yang; Chan, Ching-Kit; Zhang, Cheng-Long; Chang, Guoqing; Lin, Yuxuan; Xie, Weiwei; Palacios, Tomás; Lin, Hsin; Jia, Shuang; Lee, Patrick A.; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo; Gedik, Nuh

2017-09-01

A Weyl semimetal is a novel topological phase of matter, in which Weyl fermions arise as pseudo-magnetic monopoles in its momentum space. The chirality of the Weyl fermions, given by the sign of the monopole charge, is central to the Weyl physics, since it directly serves as the sign of the topological number and gives rise to exotic properties such as Fermi arcs and the chiral anomaly. Here, we directly detect the chirality of the Weyl fermions by measuring the photocurrent in response to circularly polarized mid-infrared light. The resulting photocurrent is determined by both the chirality of Weyl fermions and that of the photons. Our results pave the way for realizing a wide range of theoretical proposals for studying and controlling the Weyl fermions and their associated quantum anomalies by optical and electrical means. More broadly, the two chiralities, analogous to the two valleys in two-dimensional materials, lead to a new degree of freedom in a three-dimensional crystal with potential novel pathways to store and carry information.

Implication of Tsallis entropy in the Thomas–Fermi model for self-gravitating fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ourabah, Kamel; Tribeche, Mouloud, E-mail: mouloudtribeche@yahoo.fr

The Thomas–Fermi approach for self-gravitating fermions is revisited within the theoretical framework of the q-statistics. Starting from the q-deformation of the Fermi–Dirac distribution function, a generalized Thomas–Fermi equation is derived. It is shown that the Tsallis entropy preserves a scaling property of this equation. The q-statistical approach to Jeans’ instability in a system of self-gravitating fermions is also addressed. The dependence of the Jeans’ wavenumber (or the Jeans length) on the parameter q is traced. It is found that the q-statistics makes the Fermionic system unstable at scales shorter than the standard Jeans length. -- Highlights: •Thomas–Fermi approach for self-gravitatingmore » fermions. •A generalized Thomas–Fermi equation is derived. •Nonextensivity preserves a scaling property of this equation. •Nonextensive approach to Jeans’ instability of self-gravitating fermions. •It is found that nonextensivity makes the Fermionic system unstable at shorter scales.« less

Parametric control in coupled fermionic oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Arnab

2014-10-01

A simple model of parametric coupling between two fermionic oscillators is considered. Statistical properties, in particular the mean and variance of quanta for a single mode, are described by means of a time-dependent reduced density operator for the system and the associated P function. The density operator for fermionic fields as introduced by Cahill and Glauber [K. E. Cahill and R. J. Glauber, Phys. Rev. A 59, 1538 (1999), 10.1103/PhysRevA.59.1538] thus can be shown to provide a quantum mechanical description of the fields closely resembling their bosonic counterpart. In doing so, special emphasis is given to population trapping, and quantum control over the states of the system.

Massless rotating fermions inside a cylinder

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ambruş, Victor E., E-mail: victor.ambrus@gmail.com; Winstanley, Elizabeth

2015-12-07

We study rotating thermal states of a massless quantum fermion field inside a cylinder in Minkowski space-time. Two possible boundary conditions for the fermion field on the cylinder are considered: the spectral and MIT bag boundary conditions. If the radius of the cylinder is sufficiently small, rotating thermal expectation values are finite everywhere inside the cylinder. We also study the Casimir divergences on the boundary. The rotating thermal expectation values and the Casimir divergences have different properties depending on the boundary conditions applied at the cylinder. This is due to the local nature of the MIT bag boundary condition, whilemore » the spectral boundary condition is nonlocal.« less

Chiral Majorana fermion modes in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator–superconductor structure

DOE PAGES

He, Qing Lin; Pan, Lei; Stern, Alexander L.; ...

2017-07-21

Majorana fermion is a hypothetical particle that is its own antiparticle. We report transport measurements that suggest the existence of one-dimensional chiral Majorana fermion modes in the hybrid system of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator thin film coupled with a superconductor. As the external magnetic field is swept, half-integer quantized conductance plateaus are observed at the locations of magnetization reversals, giving a distinct signature of the Majorana fermion modes. This transport signature is reproducible over many magnetic field sweeps and appears at different temperatures. This finding may open up an avenue to control Majorana fermions for implementing robust topological quantummore » computing.« less

Fermion dark matter in gauge-Higgs unification

DOE PAGES

Maru, Nobuhito; Miyaji, Takashi; Okada, Nobuchika; ...

2017-07-11

Here, we propose a Majorana fermion dark matter in the context of a s imple gauge-Higgs Unification (GHU) scenario based on the gauge group SU(3)×U(1)' in 5-dimensional Minkowski space with a compactification of the 5th dimension on S 1/Z 2 orbifold. The dark matter particle is identified with the lightest mode in SU(3) triplet fermions additionally introduced in the 5-dimensional bulk. We find an allowed parameter region for the dark matter mass around a half of the Standard Model Higgs boson mass, which is consistent with the observed dark matter density and the constraint from the LUX 2016 result formore » the direct dark matter search. The entire allowed region will be covered by, for example, the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment in the near future. We also show that in the presence of the bulk SU(3) triplet fermions the 125 GeV Higgs boson mas s is reproduced through the renormalization group evolution of Higgs quartic coupling with the compactification scale of around 10 8 GeV.« less

Dynamics of Fermionic Impurity in One Dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Huijie; Andrei, Natan

2014-03-01

We study the dynamics of a fermionic impurity propagating in a one dimensional infinite line. The system is described by the Gaudin-Yang Model and is exactly solvable by the Nested Bethe Ansatz. Starting from a generic initial state, we obtain the time evolution of the wavefunction by the Yudson Approach in which we expand the initial state with the Nested Bethe Ansatz solutions. One situation that we are interested in is where, initially, the impurity is embedded in host fermions with a lattice configuration and one remove the periodic potential at time zero. We calculate the density profile and correlation functions at a later time. Another situation is to shoot an impurity into a cloud of fermions and calculate the probability for it to pass through. While the repulsive case has been studied already[1], we extend it to the attractive case and study the role of bound states in the evolution. We are also interested in boson impurity problem, where not only impurity interacts with host particles, all host particles interact with each other.

Many-body formalism for fermions: The partition function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watson, D. K.

2017-09-01

The partition function, a fundamental tenet in statistical thermodynamics, contains in principle all thermodynamic information about a system. It encapsulates both microscopic information through the quantum energy levels and statistical information from the partitioning of the particles among the available energy levels. For identical particles, this statistical accounting is complicated by the symmetry requirements of the allowed quantum states. In particular, for Fermi systems, the enforcement of the Pauli principle is typically a numerically demanding task, responsible for much of the cost of the calculations. The interplay of these three elements—the structure of the many-body spectrum, the statistical partitioning of the N particles among the available levels, and the enforcement of the Pauli principle—drives the behavior of mesoscopic and macroscopic Fermi systems. In this paper, we develop an approach for the determination of the partition function, a numerically difficult task, for systems of strongly interacting identical fermions and apply it to a model system of harmonically confined, harmonically interacting fermions. This approach uses a recently introduced many-body method that is an extension of the symmetry-invariant perturbation method (SPT) originally developed for bosons. It uses group theory and graphical techniques to avoid the heavy computational demands of conventional many-body methods which typically scale exponentially with the number of particles. The SPT application of the Pauli principle is trivial to implement since it is done "on paper" by imposing restrictions on the normal-mode quantum numbers at first order in the perturbation. The method is applied through first order and represents an extension of the SPT method to excited states. Our method of determining the partition function and various thermodynamic quantities is accurate and efficient and has the potential to yield interesting insight into the role played by the Pauli

Annihilation of singlet fermionic dark matter into two photons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ettefaghi, M.M.; Moazzemi, R., E-mail: mettefaghi@qom.ac.ir, E-mail: r.moazzemi@qom.ac.ir

2013-02-01

We consider an extension of the standard model in which a singlet fermionic particle, to serve as cold dark matter, and a singlet Higgs are added. We perform a reanalysis on the free parameters. In particular, demanding a correct relic abundance of dark matter, we derive and plot the coupling of the singlet fermion with the singlet Higgs, g{sub s}, versus the dark matter mass. We analytically compute the pair annihilation cross section of singlet fermionic dark matter into two photons. The thermally averaged of this cross section is calculated for wide range of energies and plotted versus dark mattermore » mass using g{sub s} consistent with the relic abundance condition. We also compare our results with the Fermi-Lat observations.« less

Experiments with Ultracold Quantum-degenerate Fermionic Lithium Atoms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ketterle, Wolfgang

2003-01-01

Experimental methods of laser and evaporative cooling, used in the production of atomic Bose-Einstein condensates have recently been extended to realize quantum degeneracy in trapped Fermi gases. Fermi gases are a new rich system to explore the implications of Pauli exclusion on scattering properties of the system, and ultimately fermionic superfluidity. We have produced a new macroscopic quantum system, in which a degenerate Li-6 Fermi gas coexists with a large and stable Na-23 BEC. This was accomplished using inter-species sympathetic cooling of fermionic 6Li in a thermal bath of bosonic Na-23. We have achieved high numbers of both fermions (less than 10(exp 5) and bosons (less than 10(exp 6), and Li-6 quantum degeneracy corresponding to one half of the Fermi temperature. This is the first time that a Fermi sea was produced with a condensate as a "refrigerator".

Phase Space Approach to Dynamics of Interacting Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, Shainen; Sels, Dries; Kasper, Valentin; Polkovnikov, Anatoli

Understanding the behavior of interacting fermions is of fundamental interest in many fields ranging from condensed matter to high energy physics. Developing numerically efficient and accurate simulation methods is an indispensable part of this. Already in equilibrium, fermions are notoriously hard to handle due to the sign problem. Out of equilibrium, an important outstanding problem is the efficient numerical simulation of the dynamics of these systems. In this work we develop a new semiclassical phase-space approach (a.k.a. the truncated Wigner approximation) for simulating the dynamics of interacting lattice fermions in arbitrary dimensions. We demonstrate the strength of the method by comparing the results to exact diagonalization (ED) on small 1D and 2D systems. We furthermore present results on Many-Body Localized (MBL) systems in 1D and 2D, and demonstrate how the method can be used to determine the MBL transition.

Connecting dark matter annihilation to the vertex functions of Standard Model fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kumar, Jason; Light, Christopher, E-mail: jkumar@hawaii.edu, E-mail: lightc@hawaii.edu

We consider scenarios in which dark matter is a Majorana fermion which couples to Standard Model fermions through the exchange of charged mediating particles. The matrix elements for various dark matter annihilation processes are then related to one-loop corrections to the fermion-photon vertex, where dark matter and the charged mediators run in the loop. In particular, in the limit where Standard Model fermion helicity mixing is suppressed, the cross section for dark matter annihilation to various final states is related to corrections to the Standard Model fermion charge form factor. These corrections can be extracted in a gauge-invariant manner frommore » collider cross sections. Although current measurements from colliders are not precise enough to provide useful constraints on dark matter annihilation, improved measurements at future experiments, such as the International Linear Collider, could improve these constraints by several orders of magnitude, allowing them to surpass the limits obtainable by direct observation.« less

Discovery of Lorentz-violating type II Weyl fermions in LaAlGe

PubMed Central

Xu, Su-Yang; Alidoust, Nasser; Chang, Guoqing; Lu, Hong; Singh, Bahadur; Belopolski, Ilya; Sanchez, Daniel S.; Zhang, Xiao; Bian, Guang; Zheng, Hao; Husanu, Marious-Adrian; Bian, Yi; Huang, Shin-Ming; Hsu, Chuang-Han; Chang, Tay-Rong; Jeng, Horng-Tay; Bansil, Arun; Neupert, Titus; Strocov, Vladimir N.; Lin, Hsin; Jia, Shuang; Hasan, M. Zahid

2017-01-01

In quantum field theory, Weyl fermions are relativistic particles that travel at the speed of light and strictly obey the celebrated Lorentz symmetry. Their low-energy condensed matter analogs are Weyl semimetals, which are conductors whose electronic excitations mimic the Weyl fermion equation of motion. Although the traditional (type I) emergent Weyl fermions observed in TaAs still approximately respect Lorentz symmetry, recently, the so-called type II Weyl semimetal has been proposed, where the emergent Weyl quasiparticles break the Lorentz symmetry so strongly that they cannot be smoothly connected to Lorentz symmetric Weyl particles. Despite some evidence of nontrivial surface states, the direct observation of the type II bulk Weyl fermions remains elusive. We present the direct observation of the type II Weyl fermions in crystalline solid lanthanum aluminum germanide (LaAlGe) based on our photoemission data alone, without reliance on band structure calculations. Moreover, our systematic data agree with the theoretical calculations, providing further support on our experimental results. PMID:28630919

Effective four-fermion operators in top physics: A roadmap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.

2011-02-01

We write down a minimal basis for dimension-six gauge-invariant four-fermion operators, with some operator replacements with respect to previous ones which make it simpler for calculations. Using this basis we classify all four-fermion operator contributions involving one or two top quarks. Taking into account the different fermion chiralities, possible colour contractions and independent flavour combinations, a total number of 572 gauge-invariant operators are involved. We apply this to calculate all three-body top decay widths t→dud, t→dei+ν, t→uuu, t→uej+ei-, t→uνν (with i,j,k generation indices) mediated by dimension-six four-fermion operators, including the interference with the Standard Model amplitudes when present. All single top production cross sections in pp, pp¯ and ee collisions are calculated as well, namely ud→dt, dd→ut, ud→dt, uu→ut, uu→ut, ee→ut and the charge conjugate processes. We also compute all top pair production cross sections, uu→tt¯, dd→tt¯, uu→tt and ee→tt¯. Our results are completely general, without assuming any particular relation among effective operator coefficients.

Relativistic Fermions Generated by Square Lattices in Layered Compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Zhiqiang

Recent discoveries of topological semimetals have generated immense interests since they represent new topological states of quantum matters. In this talk, I will present our recent studies on topological semimetals, which are focused on Dirac/Weyl fermions generated by square lattices in layered compounds. I will first report on our discoveries of two new Dirac materials Sr1-yMn1-zSb2 and BaMnSb2 in which nearly massless Dirac fermions are generated by 2D Sb layers. In Sr1-yMn1-zSb2, Dirac fermions are found to coexist with ferromagnetism, offering a rare opportunity to investigate the interplay between relativistic fermions and spontaneous time reversal symmetry breaking and explore a possible magnetic Weyl state. Then I will show our quantum oscillation studies on two new Dirac nodal line semimetals - ZrSiSe and ZrSiTe. We have not only revealed their signatures of nodal-line fermions, but also demonstrated that their atomically thin crystals are accessible via mechanical exfoliation, raising the possibility of realizing the theoretically predicted 2D topological insulators. Finally I will discuss exotic quantum transport behavior arising from the zeroth Landau level in Weyl semimetal YbMnBi2. This work is supported by the U.S. DOE under Grant No. DE-SC0014208 (support for the work on ZrSiSe and ZrSiTe) and DOE-EPSCoR Grant No. DE-SC0012432 with additional support from the Louisiana BoR (support for the work on (Sr/Ba)MnSb2 and YbMnBi2).

Emergent pseudospin-1 Maxwell fermions with a threefold degeneracy in optical lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yan-Qing; Zhang, Dan-Wei; Yan, Hui; Xing, Ding-Yu; Zhu, Shi-Liang

2017-09-01

The discovery of relativistic spin-1/2 fermions such as Dirac and Weyl fermions in condensed-matter or artificial systems opens a new era in modern physics. An interesting but rarely explored question is whether other relativistic spinal excitations could be realized with artificial systems. Here, we construct two- and three-dimensional tight-binding models realizable with cold fermionic atoms in optical lattices, where the low energy excitations are effectively described by the spin-1 Maxwell equations in the Hamiltonian form. These relativistic (linear dispersion) excitations with unconventional integer pseudospin, beyond the Dirac-Weyl-Majorana fermions, are an exotic kind of fermions named as Maxwell fermions. We demonstrate that the systems have rich topological features. For instance, the threefold degenerate points called Maxwell points may have quantized Berry phases and anomalous quantum Hall effects with spin-momentum locking may appear in topological Maxwell insulators in the two-dimensional lattices. In three dimensions, Maxwell points may have nontrivial monopole charges of ±2 with two Fermi arcs connecting them, and the merging of the Maxwell points leads to topological phase transitions. Finally, we propose realistic schemes for realizing the model Hamiltonians and detecting the topological properties of the emergent Maxwell quasiparticles in optical lattices.

A search for excited fermions in electron-proton collisions at HERA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derrick, M.; Krakauer, D.; Magill, S.; Musgrave, B.; Repond, J.; Schlereth, J.; Stanek, R.; Talaga, R. L.; Thron, J.; Arzarello, F.; Ayad, R.; Bari, G.; Basile, M.; Bellagamba, L.; Boscherini, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, P.; Romeo, G. Cara; Castellini, G.; Chiarini, M.; Cifarelli, L.; Cindolo, F.; Ciralli, F.; Contin, A.; D'Auria, S.; Frasconi, F.; Gialas, I.; Giusti, P.; Iacobucci, G.; Laurenti, G.; Levi, G.; Margotti, A.; Massam, T.; Nania, R.; Nemoz, C.; Palmonari, F.; Polini, A.; Sartorelli, G.; Timellini, R.; Garcia, Y. Zamora; Zichichi, A.; Bargende, A.; Crittenden, J.; Desch, K.; Diekmann, B.; Doeker, T.; Eckart, M.; Feld, L.; Frey, A.; Geerts, M.; Geitz, G.; Grothe, M.; Hartmann, H.; Haun, D.; Heinloth, K.; Hilger, E.; Jakob, H.-P.; Katz, U. F.; Mari, S. M.; Mass, A.; Mengel, S.; Mollen, J.; Paul, E.; Rembser, Ch.; Schattevoy, R.; Schneider, J.-L.; Schramm, D.; Stamm, J.; Wedemeyer, R.; Campbell-Robson, S.; Cassidy, A.; Dyce, N.; Foster, B.; George, S.; Gilmore, R.; Heath, G. P.; Heath, H. F.; Llewellyn, T. J.; Morgado, C. J. S.; Norman, D. J. P.; O'Mara, J. A.; Tapper, R. J.; Wilson, S. S.; Yoshida, R.; Rau, R. R.; Arneodo, M.; Iannotti, L.; Schioppa, M.; Susinno, G.; Bernstein, A.; Caldwell, A.; Parsons, J. A.; Ritz, S.; Sciulli, F.; Straub, P. B.; Wai, L.; Yang, S.; Borzemski, P.; Chwastowski, J.; Eskreys, A.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Zachara, M.; Zawiejski, L.; Adamczyk, L.; Bednarek, B.; Eskreys, K.; Jeleń, K.; Kisielewska, D.; Kowalski, T.; Rulikowska-Zarebska, E.; Suszycki, L.; Zajac, J.; Kedzierski, T.; Kotański, A.; Przybycień, M.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Behrens, U.; Bienlein, J. K.; Böttcher, S.; Coldewey, C.; Drews, G.; Flasiński, M.; Gilkinson, D. J.; Göttlicher, P.; Gutjahr, B.; Haas, T.; Hain, W.; Hasell, D.; Heßling, H.; Hultschig, H.; Iga, Y.; Joos, P.; Kasemann, M.; Klanner, R.; Koch, W.; Köpke, L.; Kötz, U.; Kowalski, H.; Kroger, W.; Krüger, J.; Labs, J.; Ladage, A.; Löhr, B.; Löwe, M.; Lüke, D.; Mańczak, O.; Ng, J. S. T.; Nickel, S.; Notz, D.; Ohrenberg, K.; Roco, M.; Rohde, M.; Roldán, J.; Schneekloth, U.; Schulz, W.; Selonke, F.; Stiliaris, E.; Voß, T.; Westphal, D.; Wolf, G.; Youngman, C.; Grabosch, H. J.; Leich, A.; Meyer, A.; Rethfeldt, C.; Schlenstedt, S.; Barbagli, G.; Pelfer, P.; Anzivino, G.; Maccarrone, G.; de Pasquale, S.; Qian, S.; Votano, L.; Bamberger, A.; Freidhof, A.; Poser, T.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Schroeder, J.; Theisen, G.; Trefzger, T.; Brook, N. H.; Bussey, P. J.; Doyle, A. T.; Fleck, I.; Jamieson, V. A.; Saxon, D. H.; Utley, M. L.; Wilson, A. S.; Dannemann, A.; Holm, U.; Horstmann, D.; Kammerlocher, H.; Krebs, B.; Neumann, T.; Sinkus, R.; Wick, K.; Badura, E.; Burow, B. D.; Fürtjes, A.; Hagge, L.; Lohrmann, E.; Mainusch, J.; Milewski, J.; Nakahata, M.; Pavel, N.; Poelz, G.; Schott, W.; Terron, J.; Zetsche, F.; Bacon, T. C.; Beuselinck, R.; Butterworth, I.; Gallo, E.; Harris, V. L.; Hung, B. H.; Long, K. R.; Miller, D. B.; Morawitz, P. P. O.; Prinias, A.; Sedgbeer, J. K.; Whitfield, A. F.; Mallik, U.; McCliment, E.; Wang, M. Z.; Wang, S. M.; Wu, J. T.; Zhang, Y.; Cloth, P.; Filges, D.; An, S. H.; Hong, S. M.; Nam, S. W.; Park, S. K.; Suh, M. H.; Yon, S. H.; Imlay, R.; Kartik, S.; Kim, H.-J.; McNeil, R. R.; Metcalf, W.; Nadendla, V. K.; Barreiro, F.; Cases, G.; Graciani, R.; Hernández, J. M.; Hervás, L.; Labarga, L.; Del Peso, J.; Puga, J.; de Trocóniz, J. F.; Ikraiam, F.; Mayer, J. K.; Smith, G. R.; Corriveau, F.; Hanna, D. S.; Hartmann, J.; Hung, L. W.; Lim, J. N.; Matthews, C. G.; Patel, P. M.; Sinclair, L. E.; Stairs, D. G.; St. Laurent, M.; Ullmann, R.; Zacek, G.; Bashkirov, V.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Stifutkin, A.; Bashindzhagyan, G. L.; Ermolov, P. F.; Gladilin, L. K.; Golubkov, Y. A.; Kobrin, V. D.; Kuzmin, V. A.; Proskuryakov, A. S.; Savin, A. A.; Shcheglova, L. M.; Solomin, A. N.; Zotov, N. P.; Bentvelsen, S.; Botje, M.; Chlebana, F.; Dake, A.; Engelen, J.; de Jong, P.; de Kamps, M.; Kooijman, P.; Kruse, A.; O'Dell, V.; Tenner, A.; Tiecke, H.; Verkerke, W.; Vreeswijk, M.; Wiggers, L.; de Wolf, E.; van Woudenberg, R.; Acosta, D.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Honscheid, K.; Li, C.; Ling, T. Y.; McLean, K. W.; Murray, W. N.; Park, I. H.; Romanowski, T. A.; Seidlein, R.; Bailey, D. S.; Blair, G. A.; Byrne, A.; Cashmore, R. J.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Daniels, D.; Devenish, R. C. E.; Harnew, N.; Lancaster, M.; Luffman, P. E.; Lindemann, L.; McFall, J.; Nath, C.; Quadt, A.; Uijterwaal, H.; Walczak, R.; Wilson, F. F.; Yip, T.; Abbiendi, G.; Bertolin, A.; Brugnera, R.; Carlin, R.; Dal Corso, F.; de Giorgi, M.; Dosselli, U.; Limentani, S.; Morandin, M.; Posocco, M.; Stanco, L.; Stroili, R.; Voci, C.; Bulmahn, J.; Butterworth, J. M.; Feild, R. G.; Oh, B. Y.; Whitmore, J. J.; D'Agostini, G.; Iori, M.; Marini, G.; Mattioli, M.; Nigro, A.; Tassi, E.; Hart, J. C.; McCubbin, N. A.; Prytz, K.; Shah, T. P.; Short, T. L.; Barberis, E.; Cartiglia, N.; Dubbs, T.; Heusch, C.; van Hook, M.; Hubbard, B.; Lockman, W.; Rahn, J. T.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Seiden, A.; Biltzinger, J.; Seifert, R. J.; Walenta, A. H.; Zech, G.; Abramowicz, H.; Briskin, G.; Dagan, S.; Levy, A.; Hasegawa, T.; Hazumi, M.; Ishii, T.; Kuze, M.; Mine, S.; Nagasawa, Y.; Nagira, T.; Nakao, M.; Suzuki, I.; Tokushuku, K.; Yamada, S.; Yamazaki, Y.; Chiba, M.; Hamatsu, R.; Hirose, T.; Homma, K.; Kitamura, S.; Nagayama, S.; Nakamitsu, Y.; Cirio, R.; Costa, M.; Ferrero, M. I.; Lamberti, L.; Maselli, S.; Peroni, C.; Sacchi, R.; Solano, A.; Staiano, A.; Dardo, M.; Bailey, D. C.; Bandyopadhyay, D.; Benard, F.; Brkic, M.; Crombie, M. B.; Gingrich, D. M.; Hartner, G. F.; Joo, K. K.; Levman, G. M.; Martin, J. F.; Orr, R. S.; Sampson, C. R.; Teuscher, R. J.; Catterall, C. D.; Jones, T. W.; Kaziewicz, P. B.; Lane, J. B.; Saunders, R. L.; Shulman, J.; Blankenship, K.; Kochocki, J.; Lu, B.; Mo, L. W.; Bogusz, W.; Charchula, K.; Ciborowski, J.; Gajewski, J.; Grzelak, G.; Kasprazak, M.; Krzyżanowski, M.; Muchorowski, K.; Nowak, R. J.; Pawlak, J. M.; Tymieniecka, T.; Wróblewski, A. K.; Zakrzewski, J. A.; Żarnecki, A. F.; Adamus, M.; Eisenberg, Y.; Glasman, C.; Karshon, U.; Revel, D.; Shapira, A.; Ali, I.; Behrens, B.; Dasu, S.; Fordham, C.; Foudas, C.; Goussiou, A.; Loveless, R. J.; Reeder, D. D.; Silverstein, S.; Smith, W. H.; Tsurugai, T.; Bhadra, S.; Frisken, W. R.; Furutani, K. M.

1995-12-01

A search for excited states of the standard model fermions was performed using the ZEUS detector at the HERA electron-proton collider, operating at a centre of mass energy of 296 GeV. In a sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 0.55 pb-1, no evidence was found for any resonant state decaying into final states composed of a fermion and a gauge boson. Limits on the coupling strength times branching ratio of excited fermions are presented for masses between 50 GeV and 250 GeV, extending previous search regions significantly.

The 't Hooft vertex for staggered fermions and flavor-singlet mesons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donald, Gordon C.; Davies, Christine T.H.; Follana, Eduardo

2011-01-01

We derive the ’t Hooft vertex for staggered fermions and examine its symmetries for nonzero lattice spacing. We also derive a set of structural properties for the eigenvectors of the staggered Dirac operator, which should emerge in the continuum limit, if staggered fermions yield four species. This property also is needed for flavor-taste-singlet correlators to behave correctly. We then test numerically whether the needed structure arises: it does. This structure and symmetry of (unrooted) staggered fermions also imply that Creutz’s (latest) objections to the rooted determinant are without foundation.

Impaired Insulin Signaling is Associated with Hepatic Mitochondrial Dysfunction in IR+/−-IRS-1+/− Double Heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) Mice

PubMed Central

Franko, Andras; Kunze, Alexander; Böse, Marlen; von Kleist-Retzow, Jürgen-Christoph; Paulsson, Mats; Hartmann, Ursula; Wiesner, Rudolf J.

2017-01-01

Mitochondria play a pivotal role in energy metabolism, but whether insulin signaling per se could regulate mitochondrial function has not been identified yet. To investigate whether mitochondrial function is regulated by insulin signaling, we analyzed muscle and liver of insulin receptor (IR)+/−-insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)+/− double heterozygous (IR-IRS1dh) mice, a well described model for insulin resistance. IR-IRS1dh mice were studied at the age of 6 and 12 months and glucose metabolism was determined by glucose and insulin tolerance tests. Mitochondrial enzyme activities, oxygen consumption, and membrane potential were assessed using spectrophotometric, respirometric, and proton motive force analysis, respectively. IR-IRS1dh mice showed elevated serum insulin levels. Hepatic mitochondrial oxygen consumption was reduced in IR-IRS1dh animals at 12 months of age. Furthermore, 6-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice demonstrated enhanced mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle, but a tendency of impaired glucose tolerance. On the other hand, 12-month-old IR-IRS1dh mice showed improved glucose tolerance, but normal muscle mitochondrial function. Our data revealed that deficiency in IR/IRS-1 resulted in normal or even elevated skeletal muscle, but impaired hepatic mitochondrial function, suggesting a direct cross-talk between insulin signaling and mitochondria in the liver. PMID:28556799

Landau Levels of Majorana Fermions in a Spin Liquid.

PubMed

Rachel, Stephan; Fritz, Lars; Vojta, Matthias

2016-04-22

Majorana fermions, originally proposed as elementary particles acting as their own antiparticles, can be realized in condensed-matter systems as emergent quasiparticles, a situation often accompanied by topological order. Here we propose a physical system which realizes Landau levels-highly degenerate single-particle states usually resulting from an orbital magnetic field acting on charged particles-for Majorana fermions. This is achieved in a variant of a quantum spin system due to Kitaev which is distorted by triaxial strain. This strained Kitaev model displays a spin-liquid phase with charge-neutral Majorana-fermion excitations whose spectrum corresponds to that of Landau levels, here arising from a tailored pseudomagnetic field. We show that measuring the dynamic spin susceptibility reveals the Landau-level structure by a remarkable mechanism of probe-induced bound-state formation.

Grassmann phase space methods for fermions. I. Mode theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalton, B. J.; Jeffers, J.; Barnett, S. M.

2016-07-01

In both quantum optics and cold atom physics, the behaviour of bosonic photons and atoms is often treated using phase space methods, where mode annihilation and creation operators are represented by c-number phase space variables, with the density operator equivalent to a distribution function of these variables. The anti-commutation rules for fermion annihilation, creation operators suggest the possibility of using anti-commuting Grassmann variables to represent these operators. However, in spite of the seminal work by Cahill and Glauber and a few applications, the use of Grassmann phase space methods in quantum-atom optics to treat fermionic systems is rather rare, though fermion coherent states using Grassmann variables are widely used in particle physics. The theory of Grassmann phase space methods for fermions based on separate modes is developed, showing how the distribution function is defined and used to determine quantum correlation functions, Fock state populations and coherences via Grassmann phase space integrals, how the Fokker-Planck equations are obtained and then converted into equivalent Ito equations for stochastic Grassmann variables. The fermion distribution function is an even Grassmann function, and is unique. The number of c-number Wiener increments involved is 2n2, if there are n modes. The situation is somewhat different to the bosonic c-number case where only 2 n Wiener increments are involved, the sign of the drift term in the Ito equation is reversed and the diffusion matrix in the Fokker-Planck equation is anti-symmetric rather than symmetric. The un-normalised B distribution is of particular importance for determining Fock state populations and coherences, and as pointed out by Plimak, Collett and Olsen, the drift vector in its Fokker-Planck equation only depends linearly on the Grassmann variables. Using this key feature we show how the Ito stochastic equations can be solved numerically for finite times in terms of c-number stochastic

Experimental Observation of Three-Component New Fermions in Topological Semimetal MoP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, B. Q.; Feng, Z.-L.; Xu, Q.-N.; Ma, J.-Z.; Kong, L.-Y.; Richard, Pierre; Huang, Y.-B.; Strocov, V. N.; Fang, C.; Weng, H.-M.; Shi, Y.-G.; Qian, Tian; Ding, Hong; Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Light Source, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland Team; Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics Team; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China Team; Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing, China Collaboration; Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China Team

Condensed matter systems can host quasiparticle excitations that are analogues to elementary particles such as Majorana, Weyl, and Dirac fermions. Recent advances in band theory have expanded the classification of fermions in crystals, and revealed crystal symmetry-protected electron excitations that have no high-energy counterparts. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we demonstrate the existence of a triply degenerate point in the electronic structure of MoP crystal, where the quasiparticle excitations are beyond the Majorana-Weyl-Dirac classification. Furthermore, we observe pairs of Weyl points in the bulk electronic structure coexisting with the new fermions, thus introducing a platform for studying the interplay between different types of fermions. We thank Binbin Fu, Nan Xu, and Xin Gao for the assistance in the ARPES experiments.

Kinetic theory of fermions in curved spacetime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fidler, Christian; Pitrou, Cyril, E-mail: christian.fidler@uclouvain.be, E-mail: pitrou@iap.fr

We build a statistical description of fermions, taking into account the spin degree of freedom in addition to the momentum of particles, and we detail its use in the context of the kinetic theory of gases of fermions particles. We show that the one-particle distribution function needed to write a Liouville equation is a spinor valued operator. The degrees of freedom of this function are covariantly described by an intensity function and by a polarisation vector which are parallel transported by free streaming. Collisions are described on the microscopic level and lead to a Boltzmann equation for this operator. Wemore » apply our formalism to the case of weak interactions, which at low energies can be considered as a contact interaction between fermions, allowing us to discuss the structure of the collision term for a few typical weak-interaction mediated reactions. In particular we find for massive particles that a dipolar distribution of velocities in the interacting species is necessary to generate linear polarisation, as opposed to the case of photons for which linear polarisation is generated from the quadrupolar distribution of velocities.« less

Fermion superfluid with hybridized s- and p-wave pairings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, LiHong; Yi, Wei; Cui, XiaoLing

2017-12-01

Ever since the pioneering work of Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer in the 1950s, exploring novel pairing mechanisms for fermion superfluids has become one of the central tasks in modern physics. Here, we investigate a new type of fermion superfluid with hybridized s- and p-wave pairings in an ultracold spin-1/2 Fermi gas. Its occurrence is facilitated by the co-existence of comparable s- and p-wave interactions, which is realizable in a two-component 40K Fermi gas with close-by s- and p-wave Feshbach resonances. The hybridized superfluid state is stable over a considerable parameter region on the phase diagram, and can lead to intriguing patterns of spin densities and pairing fields in momentum space. In particular, it can induce a phase-locked p-wave pairing in the fermion species that has no p-wave interactions. The hybridized nature of this novel superfluid can also be confirmed by measuring the s- and p-wave contacts, which can be extracted from the high-momentum tail of the momentum distribution of each spin component. These results enrich our knowledge of pairing superfluidity in Fermi systems, and open the avenue for achieving novel fermion superfluids with multiple partial-wave scatterings in cold atomic gases.

Pinning of fermionic occupation numbers.

PubMed

Schilling, Christian; Gross, David; Christandl, Matthias

2013-01-25

The Pauli exclusion principle is a constraint on the natural occupation numbers of fermionic states. It has been suspected since at least the 1970s, and only proved very recently, that there is a multitude of further constraints on these numbers, generalizing the Pauli principle. Here, we provide the first analytic analysis of the physical relevance of these constraints. We compute the natural occupation numbers for the ground states of a family of interacting fermions in a harmonic potential. Intriguingly, we find that the occupation numbers are almost, but not exactly, pinned to the boundary of the allowed region (quasipinned). The result suggests that the physics behind the phenomenon is richer than previously appreciated. In particular, it shows that for some models, the generalized Pauli constraints play a role for the ground state, even though they do not limit the ground-state energy. Our findings suggest a generalization of the Hartree-Fock approximation.

Bosonization of free Weyl fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marino, E. C.

2017-03-01

We generalize the method of bosonization, in its complete form, to a spacetime with 3  +  1 dimensions, and apply it to free Weyl fermion fields, which thereby, can be expressed in terms of a boson field, namely the Kalb-Ramond anti-symmetric tensor gauge field. The result may have interesting consequences both in condensed matter and in particle physics. In the former, the bosonized form of the Weyl chiral currents provides a simple explanation for the angle-dependent magneto-conductance recently observed in materials known as Weyl semimetals. In the latter, conversely, since electrons can be thought of as a combination of left and right Weyl fermions, our result suggests the possibility of a unified description of the elementary particles, which undergo the fundamental interactions, with the mediators of such interactions, namely, the gauge fields. This would fulfill the pioneering attempt of Skyrme, to unify the particles with their interaction mediators (Skyrme 1962 Nucl. Phys. 31 556).

Residual entanglement of accelerated fermions is not nonlocal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Friis, Nicolai; Koehler, Philipp; Bertlmann, Reinhold A.

2011-12-15

We analyze the operational meaning of the residual entanglement in noninertial fermionic systems in terms of the achievable violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality. We demonstrate that the quantum correlations of fermions, which were previously found to survive in the infinite acceleration limit, cannot be considered to be nonlocal. The entanglement shared by an inertial and an accelerated observer cannot be utilized for the violation of the CHSH inequality in case of high accelerations. Our results are shown to extend beyond the single-mode approximation commonly used in the literature.

From Majorana fermions to topological order.

PubMed

Terhal, Barbara M; Hassler, Fabian; DiVincenzo, David P

2012-06-29

We consider a system consisting of a 2D network of links between Majorana fermions on superconducting islands. We show that the fermionic Hamiltonian modeling this system is topologically ordered in a region of parameter space: we show that Kitaev's toric code emerges in fourth-order perturbation theory. By using a Jordan-Wigner transformation we can map the model onto a family of signed 2D Ising models in a transverse field where the signs, ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic, are determined by additional gauge bits. Our mapping allows an understanding of the nonperturbative regime and the phase transition to a nontopological phase. We discuss the physics behind a possible implementation of this model and argue how it can be used for topological quantum computation by adiabatic changes in the Hamiltonian.

Five-dimensional fermionic Chern-Simons theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bak, Dongsu; Gustavsson, Andreas

2018-02-01

We study 5d fermionic CS theory with a fermionic 2-form gauge potential. This theory can be obtained from 5d maximally supersymmetric YM theory by performing the maximal topological twist. We put the theory on a five-manifold and compute the partition function. We find that it is a topological quantity, which involves the Ray-Singer torsion of the five-manifold. For abelian gauge group we consider the uplift to the 6d theory and find a mismatch between the 5d partition function and the 6d index, due to the nontrivial dimensional reduction of a selfdual two-form gauge field on a circle. We also discuss an application of the 5d theory to generalized knots made of 2d sheets embedded in 5d.

Chiral Majorana fermion modes in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator-superconductor structure.

PubMed

He, Qing Lin; Pan, Lei; Stern, Alexander L; Burks, Edward C; Che, Xiaoyu; Yin, Gen; Wang, Jing; Lian, Biao; Zhou, Quan; Choi, Eun Sang; Murata, Koichi; Kou, Xufeng; Chen, Zhijie; Nie, Tianxiao; Shao, Qiming; Fan, Yabin; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; Liu, Kai; Xia, Jing; Wang, Kang L

2017-07-21

Majorana fermion is a hypothetical particle that is its own antiparticle. We report transport measurements that suggest the existence of one-dimensional chiral Majorana fermion modes in the hybrid system of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator thin film coupled with a superconductor. As the external magnetic field is swept, half-integer quantized conductance plateaus are observed at the locations of magnetization reversals, giving a distinct signature of the Majorana fermion modes. This transport signature is reproducible over many magnetic field sweeps and appears at different temperatures. This finding may open up an avenue to control Majorana fermions for implementing robust topological quantum computing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Fermion-induced quantum criticality with two length scales in Dirac systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Emilio; Classen, Laura; Herbut, Igor F.; Scherer, Michael M.

2018-03-01

The quantum phase transition to a Z3-ordered Kekulé valence bond solid in two-dimensional Dirac semimetals is governed by a fermion-induced quantum critical point, which renders the putatively discontinuous transition continuous. We study the resulting universal critical behavior in terms of a functional RG approach, which gives access to the scaling behavior on the symmetry-broken side of the phase transition, for general dimensions and number of Dirac fermions. In particular, we investigate the emergence of the fermion-induced quantum critical point for spacetime dimensions 2 fermion-induced criticality leads to a scaling form with two divergent length scales, due to the breaking of the discrete Z3 symmetry. This provides another source of scaling corrections, besides the one stemming from being in the proximity to the first-order transition.

Magnetotransport in Layered Dirac Fermion System Coupled with Magnetic Moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwasaki, Yoshiki; Morinari, Takao

2018-03-01

We theoretically investigate the magnetotransport of Dirac fermions coupled with localized moments to understand the physical properties of the Dirac material EuMnBi2. Using an interlayer hopping form, which simplifies the complicated interaction between the layers of Dirac fermions and the layers of magnetic moments in EuMnBi2, the theory reproduces most of the features observed in this system. The hysteresis observed in EuMnBi2 can be caused by the valley splitting that is induced by the spin-orbit coupling and the external magnetic field with the molecular field created by localized moments. Our theory suggests that the magnetotransport in EuMnBi2 is due to the interplay among Dirac fermions, localized moments, and spin-orbit coupling.

Renormalization of Coulomb interactions in a system of two-dimensional tilted Dirac fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yu-Wen; Lee, Yu-Li

2018-01-01

We investigate the effects of long-ranged Coulomb interactions in a tilted Dirac semimetal in two dimensions by using the perturbative renormalization-group (RG) method. Depending on the magnitude of the tilting parameter, the undoped system can have either Fermi points (type I) or Fermi lines (type II). Previous studies usually performed the renormalization-group transformations by integrating out the modes with large momenta. This is problematic when the Fermi surface is open, like type-II Dirac fermions. In this work we study the effects of Coulomb interactions, following the spirit of Shankar [Rev. Mod. Phys. 66, 129 (1994), 10.1103/RevModPhys.66.129], by introducing a cutoff in the energy scale around the Fermi surface and integrating out the high-energy modes. For type-I Dirac fermions, our result is consistent with that of the previous work. On the other hand, we find that for type-II Dirac fermions, the magnitude of the tilting parameter increases monotonically with lowering energies. This implies the stability of type-II Dirac fermions in the presence of Coulomb interactions, in contrast with previous results. Furthermore, for type-II Dirac fermions, the velocities in different directions acquire different renormalization even if they have the same bare values. By taking into account the renormalization of the tilting parameter and the velocities due to the Coulomb interactions, we show that while the presence of a charged impurity leads only to charge redistribution around the impurity for type-I Dirac fermions, for type-II Dirac fermions, the impurity charge is completely screened, albeit with a very long screening length. The latter indicates that the temperature dependence of physical observables are essentially determined by the RG equations we derived. We illustrate this by calculating the temperature dependence of the compressibility and specific heat of the interacting tilted Dirac fermions.

Opendf - An Implementation of the Dual Fermion Method for Strongly Correlated Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antipov, Andrey E.; LeBlanc, James P. F.; Gull, Emanuel

The dual fermion method is a multiscale approach for solving lattice problems of interacting strongly correlated systems. In this paper, we present the opendfcode, an open-source implementation of the dual fermion method applicable to fermionic single- orbital lattice models in dimensions D = 1, 2, 3 and 4. The method is built on a dynamical mean field starting point, which neglects all local correlations, and perturbatively adds spatial correlations. Our code is distributed as an open-source package under the GNU public license version 2.

Fast algorithms for chiral fermions in 2 dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyka (Xhako), Dafina; Osmanaj (Zeqirllari), Rudina

2018-03-01

In lattice QCD simulations the formulation of the theory in lattice should be chiral in order that symmetry breaking happens dynamically from interactions. In order to guarantee this symmetry on the lattice one uses overlap and domain wall fermions. On the other hand high computational cost of lattice QCD simulations with overlap or domain wall fermions remains a major obstacle of research in the field of elementary particles. We have developed the preconditioned GMRESR algorithm as fast inverting algorithm for chiral fermions in U(1) lattice gauge theory. In this algorithm we used the geometric multigrid idea along the extra dimension.The main result of this work is that the preconditioned GMRESR is capable to accelerate the convergence 2 to 12 times faster than the other optimal algorithms (SHUMR) for different coupling constant and lattice 32x32. Also, in this paper we tested it for larger lattice size 64x64. From the results of simulations we can see that our algorithm is faster than SHUMR. This is a very promising result that this algorithm can be adapted also in 4 dimension.

Supersymmetry breaking and Nambu-Goldstone fermions with cubic dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sannomiya, Noriaki; Katsura, Hosho; Nakayama, Yu

2017-03-01

We introduce a lattice fermion model in one spatial dimension with supersymmetry (SUSY) but without particle number conservation. The Hamiltonian is defined as the anticommutator of two nilpotent supercharges Q and Q†. Each supercharge is built solely from spinless fermion operators and depends on a parameter g . The system is strongly interacting for small g , and in the extreme limit g =0 , the number of zero-energy ground states grows exponentially with the system size. By contrast, in the large-g limit, the system is noninteracting and SUSY is broken spontaneously. We study the model for modest values of g and show that under certain conditions spontaneous SUSY breaking occurs in both finite and infinite chains. We analyze the low-energy excitations both analytically and numerically. Our analysis suggests that the Nambu-Goldstone fermions accompanying the spontaneous SUSY breaking have cubic dispersion at low energies.

Fermionic Field Theory for Trees and Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracciolo, Sergio; Jacobsen, Jesper Lykke; Saleur, Hubert; Sokal, Alan D.; Sportiello, Andrea

2004-08-01

We prove a generalization of Kirchhoff’s matrix-tree theorem in which a large class of combinatorial objects are represented by non-Gaussian Grassmann integrals. As a special case, we show that unrooted spanning forests, which arise as a q→0 limit of the Potts model, can be represented by a Grassmann theory involving a Gaussian term and a particular bilocal four-fermion term. We show that this latter model can be mapped, to all orders in perturbation theory, onto the N-vector model at N=-1 or, equivalently, onto the σ model taking values in the unit supersphere in R1|2. It follows that, in two dimensions, this fermionic model is perturbatively asymptotically free.

SU(2) with fundamental fermions and scalars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Martin; Janowski, Tadeusz; Pica, Claudio; Toniato, Arianna

2018-03-01

We present preliminary results on the lattice simulation of an SU(2) gauge theory with two fermion flavors and one strongly interacting scalar field, all in the fundamental representation of SU(2). The motivation for this study comes from the recent proposal of "fundamental" partial compositeness models featuring strongly interacting scalar fields in addition to fermions. Here we describe the lattice setup for our study of this class of models and a first exploration of the lattice phase diagram. In particular we then investigate how the presence of a strongly coupled scalar field affects the properties of light meson resonances previously obtained for the SU(2) model. Preprint: CP3-Origins-2017-047 DNRF90

Fermion-induced quantum critical points in two-dimensional Dirac semimetals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Shao-Kai; Yao, Hong

2017-11-01

In this paper we investigate the nature of quantum phase transitions between two-dimensional Dirac semimetals and Z3-ordered phases (e.g., Kekule valence-bond solid), where cubic terms of the order parameter are allowed in the quantum Landau-Ginzberg theory and the transitions are putatively first order. From large-N renormalization-group (RG) analysis, we find that fermion-induced quantum critical points (FIQCPs) [Z.-X. Li et al., Nat. Commun. 8, 314 (2017), 10.1038/s41467-017-00167-6] occur when N (the number of flavors of four-component Dirac fermions) is larger than a critical value Nc. Remarkably, from the knowledge of space-time supersymmetry, we obtain an exact lower bound for Nc, i.e., Nc>1 /2 . (Here the "1/2" flavor of four-component Dirac fermions is equivalent to one flavor of four-component Majorana fermions). Moreover, we show that the emergence of two length scales is a typical phenomenon of FIQCPs and obtain two different critical exponents, i.e., ν ≠ν' , by large-N RG calculations. We further give a brief discussion of possible experimental realizations of FIQCPs.

On the simulation of indistinguishable fermions in the many-body Wigner formalism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sellier, J.M., E-mail: jeanmichel.sellier@gmail.com; Dimov, I.

2015-01-01

The simulation of quantum systems consisting of interacting, indistinguishable fermions is an incredible mathematical problem which poses formidable numerical challenges. Many sophisticated methods addressing this problem are available which are based on the many-body Schrödinger formalism. Recently a Monte Carlo technique for the resolution of the many-body Wigner equation has been introduced and successfully applied to the simulation of distinguishable, spinless particles. This numerical approach presents several advantages over other methods. Indeed, it is based on an intuitive formalism in which quantum systems are described in terms of a quasi-distribution function, and highly scalable due to its Monte Carlo nature.more » In this work, we extend the many-body Wigner Monte Carlo method to the simulation of indistinguishable fermions. To this end, we first show how fermions are incorporated into the Wigner formalism. Then we demonstrate that the Pauli exclusion principle is intrinsic to the formalism. As a matter of fact, a numerical simulation of two strongly interacting fermions (electrons) is performed which clearly shows the appearance of a Fermi (or exchange–correlation) hole in the phase-space, a clear signature of the presence of the Pauli principle. To conclude, we simulate 4, 8 and 16 non-interacting fermions, isolated in a closed box, and show that, as the number of fermions increases, we gradually recover the Fermi–Dirac statistics, a clear proof of the reliability of our proposed method for the treatment of indistinguishable particles.« less

Superfluidity of identical fermions in an optical lattice: Atoms and polar molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorov, A. K.; Yudson, V. I.; Shlyapnikov, G. V.

2018-02-01

In this work we discuss the emergence of p-wave superfluids of identical fermions in 2D lattices. The optical lattice potential manifests itself in an interplay between an increase in the density of states on the Fermi surface and the modification of the fermion-fermion interaction (scattering) amplitude. The density of states is enhanced due to an increase of the effective mass of atoms. In deep lattices, for short-range interacting atoms the scattering amplitude is strongly reduced compared to free space due to a small overlap of wavefunctions of fermions sitting in the neighboring lattice sites, which suppresses the p-wave superfluidity. However, we show that for a moderate lattice depth there is still a possibility to create atomic p-wave superfluids with sizable transition temperatures. The situation is drastically different for fermionic polar molecules. Being dressed with a microwave field, they acquire a dipole-dipole attractive tail in the interaction potential. Then, due to a long-range character of the dipole-dipole interaction, the effect of the suppression of the scattering amplitude in 2D lattices is absent. This leads to the emergence of a stable topological px + ipy superfluid of identical microwave-dressed polar molecules.

Mode entanglement of Gaussian fermionic states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spee, C.; Schwaiger, K.; Giedke, G.; Kraus, B.

2018-04-01

We investigate the entanglement of n -mode n -partite Gaussian fermionic states (GFS). First, we identify a reasonable definition of separability for GFS and derive a standard form for mixed states, to which any state can be mapped via Gaussian local unitaries (GLU). As the standard form is unique, two GFS are equivalent under GLU if and only if their standard forms coincide. Then, we investigate the important class of local operations assisted by classical communication (LOCC). These are central in entanglement theory as they allow one to partially order the entanglement contained in states. We show, however, that there are no nontrivial Gaussian LOCC (GLOCC) among pure n -partite (fully entangled) states. That is, any such GLOCC transformation can also be accomplished via GLU. To obtain further insight into the entanglement properties of such GFS, we investigate the richer class of Gaussian stochastic local operations assisted by classical communication (SLOCC). We characterize Gaussian SLOCC classes of pure n -mode n -partite states and derive them explicitly for few-mode states. Furthermore, we consider certain fermionic LOCC and show how to identify the maximally entangled set of pure n -mode n -partite GFS, i.e., the minimal set of states having the property that any other state can be obtained from one state inside this set via fermionic LOCC. We generalize these findings also to the pure m -mode n -partite (for m >n ) case.

Fermion-to-qubit mappings with varying resource requirements for quantum simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steudtner, Mark; Wehner, Stephanie

2018-06-01

The mapping of fermionic states onto qubit states, as well as the mapping of fermionic Hamiltonian into quantum gates enables us to simulate electronic systems with a quantum computer. Benefiting the understanding of many-body systems in chemistry and physics, quantum simulation is one of the great promises of the coming age of quantum computers. Interestingly, the minimal requirement of qubits for simulating Fermions seems to be agnostic of the actual number of particles as well as other symmetries. This leads to qubit requirements that are well above the minimal requirements as suggested by combinatorial considerations. In this work, we develop methods that allow us to trade-off qubit requirements against the complexity of the resulting quantum circuit. We first show that any classical code used to map the state of a fermionic Fock space to qubits gives rise to a mapping of fermionic models to quantum gates. As an illustrative example, we present a mapping based on a nonlinear classical error correcting code, which leads to significant qubit savings albeit at the expense of additional quantum gates. We proceed to use this framework to present a number of simpler mappings that lead to qubit savings with a more modest increase in gate difficulty. We discuss the role of symmetries such as particle conservation, and savings that could be obtained if an experimental platform could easily realize multi-controlled gates.

Fermions tunneling from the Horowitz-Strominger Dilaton black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiang; Zeng, Xiaoxiong

2009-06-01

Based on the work of Kerner and Mann, fermions tunneling from the Horowitz-Strominger Dilaton black hole on the membrane is studied. Owing to the coupling among electromagnetic field, matter field and gravity field, the Dirac equation of charged particles is introduced, and according to that, the expected emission temperature is obtained. After the self-gravitational interaction is considered, it is found that the tunneling rate of fermions also satisfies the underlying Unitary theory as the case of scalar particles.

A new version of JQMD for soft heavy-ion collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancusi, Davide; Niita, Koji; Sihver, Lembit

The JQMD model (JAERI Quantum Molecular Dynamics) has been successfully used for a long time now to describe many different aspects of nuclear reactions in a unified way. However, in soft, peripheral heavy-ion collisions, the JQMD model shows instabilities and spurious fluctuations that are responsible for an overestimation of few-nucleon-removal cross sections. The reasons of this shortcoming are, firstly, that the JQMD is not fully relativistically covariant, and secondly, that the fermionic nature of the nuclear ground state cannot be faithfully reproduced in a semi-classical framework. We present here R-JQMD, an improved and fully covariant version of JQMD that also features a new ground-state initialisation algorithm for nuclei. The new code is only marginally slower than JQMD and it produces physically sounder results. We also discuss whether R-JQMD can be adjusted to improve JQMD's agreement with measured heavy-ion fragmentation cross sections.

Birefringent breakup of Dirac fermions on a square optical lattice

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kennett, Malcolm P.; Komeilizadeh, Nazanin; Kaveh, Kamran

2011-05-15

We introduce a lattice model for fermions in a spatially periodic magnetic field that also has spatially periodic hopping amplitudes. We discuss how this model might be realized with cold atoms in an artificial magnetic field on a square optical lattice. When there is an average flux of half a flux quantum per plaquette, the spectrum of low-energy excitations can be described by massless Dirac fermions in which the usually doubly degenerate Dirac cones split into cones with different ''speeds of light.'' These gapless birefringent Dirac fermions arise because of broken chiral symmetry in the kinetic energy term of themore » effective low-energy Hamiltonian. We characterize the effects of various perturbations to the low-energy spectrum, including staggered potentials, interactions, and domain-wall topological defects.« less

Limitation to Communication of Fermionic System in Accelerated Frame

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Jinho; Kwon, Younghun

2015-03-01

In this article, we investigate communication between an inertial observer and an accelerated observer, sharing fermionic system, when they use classical and quantum communication using single rail or dual rail encoding. The purpose of this work is to understand the limit to the communication between an inertial observer and an accelerated observer, with single rail or dual rail encoding of fermionic system. We observe that at the infinite acceleration, the coherent information of single(or double) rail quantum channel vanishes, but those of classical ones may have finite values. In addition, we see that even when considering a method beyond the single-mode approximation, for the communication between Alice and Bob, the dual rail entangled state seems to provide better information transfer than the single rail entangled state, when we take a fixed choice of the Unruh mode. Moreover, we find that the single-mode approximation may not be sufficient to analyze communication of fermionic system in an accelerated frame.

Parallelized traveling cluster approximation to study numerically spin-fermion models on large lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Anamitra; Patel, Niravkumar D.; Bishop, Chris; Dagotto, Elbio

2015-06-01

Lattice spin-fermion models are important to study correlated systems where quantum dynamics allows for a separation between slow and fast degrees of freedom. The fast degrees of freedom are treated quantum mechanically while the slow variables, generically referred to as the "spins," are treated classically. At present, exact diagonalization coupled with classical Monte Carlo (ED + MC) is extensively used to solve numerically a general class of lattice spin-fermion problems. In this common setup, the classical variables (spins) are treated via the standard MC method while the fermion problem is solved by exact diagonalization. The "traveling cluster approximation" (TCA) is a real space variant of the ED + MC method that allows to solve spin-fermion problems on lattice sizes with up to 103 sites. In this publication, we present a novel reorganization of the TCA algorithm in a manner that can be efficiently parallelized. This allows us to solve generic spin-fermion models easily on 104 lattice sites and with some effort on 105 lattice sites, representing the record lattice sizes studied for this family of models.

Scattering of fermions in the Yukawa theory coupled to unimodular gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Martin, S.; Martin, C. P.

2018-03-01

We compute the lowest order gravitational UV divergent radiative corrections to the S matrix element of the fermion + fermion→ fermion + fermion scattering process in the massive Yukawa theory, coupled either to Unimodular Gravity or to General Relativity. We show that both Unimodular Gravity and General Relativity give rise to the same UV divergent contribution in Dimensional Regularization. This is a nontrivial result, since in the classical action of Unimodular Gravity coupled to the Yukawa theory, the graviton field does not couple neither to the mass operator nor to the Yukawa operator. This is unlike the General Relativity case. The agreement found points in the direction that Unimodular Gravity and General Relativity give rise to the same quantum theory when coupled to matter, as long as the Cosmological Constant vanishes. Along the way we have come across another unexpected cancellation of UV divergences for both Unimodular Gravity and General Relativity, resulting in the UV finiteness of the one-loop and κ y^2 order of the vertex involving two fermions and one graviton only.

Hybrid Monte Carlo approach to the entanglement entropy of interacting fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drut, Joaquín E.; Porter, William J.

2015-09-01

The Monte Carlo calculation of Rényi entanglement entropies Sn of interacting fermions suffers from a well-known signal-to-noise problem, even for a large number of situations in which the infamous sign problem is absent. A few methods have been proposed to overcome this issue, such as ensemble switching and the use of auxiliary partition-function ratios. Here, we present an approach that builds on the recently proposed free-fermion decomposition method; it incorporates entanglement in the probability measure in a natural way; it takes advantage of the hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm (an essential tool in lattice quantum chromodynamics and other gauge theories with dynamical fermions); and it does not suffer from noise problems. This method displays no sign problem for the same cases as other approaches and is therefore useful for a wide variety of systems. As a proof of principle, we calculate S2 for the one-dimensional, half-filled Hubbard model and compare with results from exact diagonalization and the free-fermion decomposition method.

Renormalization of minimally doubled fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capitani, Stefano; Creutz, Michael; Weber, Johannes; Wittig, Hartmut

2010-09-01

We investigate the renormalization properties of minimally doubled fermions, at one loop in perturbation theory. Our study is based on the two particular realizations of Boriçi-Creutz and Karsten-Wilczek. A common feature of both formulations is the breaking of hyper-cubic symmetry, which requires that the lattice actions are supplemented by suitable counterterms. We show that three counterterms are required in each case and determine their coefficients to one loop in perturbation theory. For both actions we compute the vacuum polarization of the gluon. It is shown that no power divergences appear and that all contributions which arise from the breaking of Lorentz symmetry are cancelled by the counterterms. We also derive the conserved vector and axial-vector currents for Karsten-Wilczek fermions. Like in the case of the previously studied Boriçi-Creutz action, one obtains simple expressions, involving only nearest-neighbour sites. We suggest methods how to fix the coefficients of the counterterms non-perturbatively and discuss the implications of our findings for practical simulations.

k - dependent Jeff=1/2 band splitting and the electron-hole asymmetry in SrIrO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Vijeta; Pulikkotil, J. J.

2017-02-01

The Ir ion in Srn+1 IrnO 3 n + 1 series of compounds is octahedrally coordinated. However, unlike Sr2IrO4 (n=1) and Sr3Ir2O7 (n=2) which are insulating due to spin-orbit induced Jeff splitting of the t2g bands, SrIrO3 (n= ∞) is conducting. To explore whether such a splitting is relevant in SrIrO3, and if so to what extent, we investigate the electronic structure of orthorhombic SrIrO3 using density functional theory. Calculations reveal that the crystal field split Ir t2 g bands in SrIrO3 are indeed split into Jeff=3/2 and and Jeff=1/2 states. However, the splitting is found to be strongly k - dependent with its magnitude determined by the Ir - O orbital hybridization. Besides, we find that the spin-orbit induced pseudo-gap, into which the Fermi energy is positioned, is composed of both light electron-like and heavy hole-like bands. These features in the band structure of SrIrO3 suggest that variations in the carrier concentration control the electronic transport properties in SrIrO3, which is consistent with the experiments.

The Emergence of Fermions and the E11 Content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Englert, François; Houart, Laurent

Claudio's warm and endearing personality adds to our admiration for his achievements in physics a sense of friendliness. His constant interest in fundamental questions motivated the following presentation of our attempt to understand the nature of fermions. This problem is an essential element of the quantum world and might be related to the quest for quantum gravity. We shall review how space-time fermions can emerge out of bosons in string theory and how this fact affects the extended Kac-Moody approach to the M-theory project.

The Fermionic Projector, entanglement and the collapse of the wave function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finster, Felix

2011-07-01

After a brief introduction to the fermionic projector approach, we review how entanglement and second quantized bosonic and fermionic fields can be described in this framework. The constructions are discussed with regard to decoherence phenomena and the measurement problem. We propose a mechanism leading to the collapse of the wave function in the quantum mechanical measurement process.

The realization of Majorana fermions in Kitaev Quantum Spin Lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Do, Seung-Hwan; Park, Sang-Youn; Yoshitake, Junki; Nasu, Joji; Motome, Yukitoshi; Kwon, Y. S.; Adroja, D. T.; Voneshen, D.; Park, J.-H.; Choi, Kwang-Yong; Ji, Sungdae

The Kitaev honeycomb lattice is envisioned as an ideal host for Majorana fermions that are created out of the spin liquid background. Combining specific heat and neutron scattering experiments with theoretical calculations, here, we establish a hitherto unparalleled spin fractionalization to two species of Majorana fermions in the Kitaev material α-RuCl3. The specific heat data unveil a two-stage release of magnetic entropy by (R/2)ln2 and the T-linear dependence at intermediate temperatures. Our inelastic neutron scattering measurements further corroborate two distinct characters of fractionalized excitations: an Y-like, dispersive, magnetic continuum at higher energies and a dispersionless excitation at low energies around the Brillouin zone center. These dual features are well described by a Ferromagnetic Kitaev model, providing a smoking gun proof of the itinerant and localized Majorana fermions emergent in Kitaev magnets.

Optical Selection Rule of Excitons in Gapped Chiral Fermion Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoou; Shan, Wen-Yu; Xiao, Di

2018-02-01

We show that the exciton optical selection rule in gapped chiral fermion systems is governed by their winding number w , a topological quantity of the Bloch bands. Specifically, in a CN-invariant chiral fermion system, the angular momentum of bright exciton states is given by w ±1 +n N with n being an integer. We demonstrate our theory by proposing two chiral fermion systems capable of hosting dark s -like excitons: gapped surface states of a topological crystalline insulator with C4 rotational symmetry and biased 3 R -stacked MoS2 bilayers. In the latter case, we show that gating can be used to tune the s -like excitons from bright to dark by changing the winding number. Our theory thus provides a pathway to electrical control of optical transitions in two-dimensional material.

Three-Dimensional Majorana Fermions in Chiral Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozii, Vladyslav; Venderbos, Jorn; Fu, Liang

Through a systematic symmetry and topology analysis we establish that three-dimensional chiral superconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling and odd-parity pairing generically host low-energy nodal quasiparticles that are spin-non-degenerate and realize Majorana fermions in three dimensions. By examining all types of chiral Cooper pairs with total angular momentum J formed by Bloch electrons with angular momentum j in crystals, we obtain a comprehensive classification of gapless Majorana quasiparticles in terms of energy-momentum relation and location on the Fermi surface. We show that the existence of bulk Majorana fermions in the vicinity of spin-selective point nodes is rooted in the non-unitary nature of chiral pairing in spin-orbit-coupled superconductors. We address experimental signatures of Majorana fermions, and find that the nuclear magnetic resonance spin relaxation rate is significantly suppressed for nuclear spins polarized along the nodal direction as a consequence of the spin-selective Majorana nature of nodal quasiparticles. Furthermore, Majorana nodes in the bulk have nontrivial topology and imply the presence of Majorana bound states on the surface that form arcs in momentum space. This work is supported by DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under Award de-sc0010526 (LF and VK), and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) through a Rubicon Grant (JV).

Fermion determinants in static, inhomogeneous magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fry, M.P.

1995-01-15

The renormalized fermionic determinant of QED in 3+1 dimensions, det[sub ren], in a static, unidirectional, inhomogeneous magnetic field with finite flux can be calculated from the massive Euclidean Schwinger model's determinant det[sub Sch] in the same field by integrating det[sub Sch] over the fermion's mass. Since det[sub ren] for general fields is central to QED, it is desirable to have nonperturbative information on this determinant, even for the restricted magnetic fields considered here. To this end we continue our study of the physically relevant determinant det[sub Sch]. It is shown that the contribution of the massless Schwinger model to det[submore » Sch] is canceled by a contribution from the massive sector of QED in 1+1 dimensions and that zero modes are suppressed in det[sub Sch]. We then calculate det[sub Sch] analytically in the presence of a finite flux, cylindrical magnetic field. Its behavior for large flux and small fermion mass suggests that the zero-energy bound states of the two-dimensional Pauli Hamiltonian are the controlling factor in the growth of ln det[sub Sch]. Evidence is presented that det[sub Sch] does not converge to the determinant of the massless Schwinger model in the small mass limit for finite, nonzero flux magnetic fields.« less

Parametrization of fermion mixing matrices in Kobayashi-Maskawa form

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qin Nan; Ma Boqiang; Center for High Energy Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871

2011-02-01

Recent works show that the original Kobayashi-Maskawa (KM) form of fermion mixing matrix exhibits some advantages, especially when discussing problems such as unitarity boomerangs and maximal CP violation hypothesis. Therefore, the KM form of fermion mixing matrix is systematically studied in this paper. Starting with a general triminimal expansion of the KM matrix, we discuss the triminimal and Wolfenstein-like parametrizations with different basis matrices in detail. The quark-lepton complementarity relations play an important role in our discussions on describing quark mixing and lepton mixing in a unified way.

Power corrections to the universal heavy WIMP-nucleon cross section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chien-Yi; Hill, Richard J.; Solon, Mikhail P.; Wijangco, Alexander M.

2018-06-01

WIMP-nucleon scattering is analyzed at order 1 / M in Heavy WIMP Effective Theory. The 1 / M power corrections, where M ≫mW is the WIMP mass, distinguish between different underlying UV models with the same universal limit and their impact on direct detection rates can be enhanced relative to naive expectations due to generic amplitude-level cancellations at leading order. The necessary one- and two-loop matching calculations onto the low-energy effective theory for WIMP interactions with Standard Model quarks and gluons are performed for the case of an electroweak SU(2) triplet WIMP, considering both the cases of elementary fermions and composite scalars. The low-velocity WIMP-nucleon scattering cross section is evaluated and compared with current experimental limits and projected future sensitivities. Our results provide the most robust prediction for electroweak triplet Majorana fermion dark matter direct detection rates; for this case, a cancellation between two sources of power corrections yields a small total 1 / M correction, and a total cross section close to the universal limit for M ≳ few × 100GeV. For the SU(2) composite scalar, the 1 / M corrections introduce dependence on underlying strong dynamics. Using a leading chiral logarithm evaluation, the total 1 / M correction has a larger magnitude and uncertainty than in the fermionic case, with a sign that further suppresses the total cross section. These examples provide definite targets for future direct detection experiments and motivate large scale detectors capable of probing to the neutrino floor in the TeV mass regime.

Update on Heavy-Meson Spectrum Tests of the Oktay--Kronfeld Action

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bailey, Jon A.; Jang, Yong-Chull; Lee, Weonjong

2016-01-18

We present updated results of a numerical improvement test with heavy-meson spectrum for the Oktay--Kronfeld (OK) action. The OK action is an extension of the Fermilab improvement program for massive Wilson fermions including all dimension-six and some dimension-seven bilinear terms. Improvement terms are truncated by HQET power counting atmore » $$\\mathrm{O}(\\Lambda^3/m_Q^3)$$ for heavy-light systems, and by NRQCD power counting at $$\\mathrm{O}(v^6)$$ for quarkonium. They suffice for tree-level matching to QCD to the given order in the power-counting schemes. To assess the improvement, we generate new data with the OK and Fermilab action that covers both charm and bottom quark mass regions on a MILC coarse $$(a \\approx 0.12~\\text{fm})$$ $2+1$ flavor, asqtad-staggered ensemble. We update the analyses of the inconsistency quantity and the hyperfine splittings for the rest and kinetic masses. With one exception, the results clearly show that the OK action significantly reduces heavy-quark discretization effects in the meson spectrum. The exception is the hyperfine splitting of the heavy-light system near the $$B_s$$ meson mass, where statistics are too low to draw a firm conclusion, despite promising results.« less

Parallelized traveling cluster approximation to study numerically spin-fermion models on large lattices

DOE PAGES

Mukherjee, Anamitra; Patel, Niravkumar D.; Bishop, Chris; ...

2015-06-08

Lattice spin-fermion models are quite important to study correlated systems where quantum dynamics allows for a separation between slow and fast degrees of freedom. The fast degrees of freedom are treated quantum mechanically while the slow variables, generically referred to as the “spins,” are treated classically. At present, exact diagonalization coupled with classical Monte Carlo (ED + MC) is extensively used to solve numerically a general class of lattice spin-fermion problems. In this common setup, the classical variables (spins) are treated via the standard MC method while the fermion problem is solved by exact diagonalization. The “traveling cluster approximation” (TCA)more » is a real space variant of the ED + MC method that allows to solve spin-fermion problems on lattice sizes with up to 10 3 sites. In this paper, we present a novel reorganization of the TCA algorithm in a manner that can be efficiently parallelized. Finally, this allows us to solve generic spin-fermion models easily on 10 4 lattice sites and with some effort on 10 5 lattice sites, representing the record lattice sizes studied for this family of models.« less

Parallelized traveling cluster approximation to study numerically spin-fermion models on large lattices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mukherjee, Anamitra; Patel, Niravkumar D.; Bishop, Chris

Lattice spin-fermion models are quite important to study correlated systems where quantum dynamics allows for a separation between slow and fast degrees of freedom. The fast degrees of freedom are treated quantum mechanically while the slow variables, generically referred to as the “spins,” are treated classically. At present, exact diagonalization coupled with classical Monte Carlo (ED + MC) is extensively used to solve numerically a general class of lattice spin-fermion problems. In this common setup, the classical variables (spins) are treated via the standard MC method while the fermion problem is solved by exact diagonalization. The “traveling cluster approximation” (TCA)more » is a real space variant of the ED + MC method that allows to solve spin-fermion problems on lattice sizes with up to 10 3 sites. In this paper, we present a novel reorganization of the TCA algorithm in a manner that can be efficiently parallelized. Finally, this allows us to solve generic spin-fermion models easily on 10 4 lattice sites and with some effort on 10 5 lattice sites, representing the record lattice sizes studied for this family of models.« less

Direct demodulation method for heavy atom position determination in protein crystallography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Liang; Liu, Zhong-Chuan; Liu, Peng; Dong, Yu-Hui

2013-01-01

The first step of phasing in any de novo protein structure determination using isomorphous replacement (IR) or anomalous scattering (AD) experiments is to find heavy atom positions. Traditionally, heavy atom positions can be solved by inspecting the difference Patterson maps. Due to the weak signals in isomorphous or anomalous differences and the noisy background in the Patterson map, the search for heavy atoms may become difficult. Here, the direct demodulation (DD) method is applied to the difference Patterson maps to reduce the noisy backgrounds and sharpen the signal peaks. The real space Patterson search by using these optimized maps can locate the heavy atom positions more accurately. It is anticipated that the direct demodulation method can assist in heavy atom position determination and facilitate the de novo structure determination of proteins.

Two- and four-dimensional representations of the PT - and CPT -symmetric fermionic algebras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beygi, Alireza; Klevansky, S. P.; Bender, Carl M.

2018-03-01

Fermionic systems differ from their bosonic counterparts, the main difference with regard to symmetry considerations being that T2=-1 for fermionic systems. In PT -symmetric quantum mechanics an operator has both PT and CPT adjoints. Fermionic operators η , which are quadratically nilpotent (η2=0 ), and algebras with PT and CPT adjoints can be constructed. These algebras obey different anticommutation relations: η ηPT+ηPTη =-1 , where ηPT is the PT adjoint of η , and η ηCPT+ηCPTη =1 , where ηCPT is the CPT adjoint of η . This paper presents matrix representations for the operator η and its PT and CPT adjoints in two and four dimensions. A PT -symmetric second-quantized Hamiltonian modeled on quantum electrodynamics that describes a system of interacting fermions and bosons is constructed within this framework and is solved exactly.

Multi-boson block factorization of fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giusti, Leonardo; Cè, Marco; Schaefer, Stefan

2018-03-01

The numerical computations of many quantities of theoretical and phenomenological interest are plagued by statistical errors which increase exponentially with the distance of the sources in the relevant correlators. Notable examples are baryon masses and matrix elements, the hadronic vacuum polarization and the light-by-light scattering contributions to the muon g - 2, and the form factors of semileptonic B decays. Reliable and precise determinations of these quantities are very difficult if not impractical with state-of-the-art standard Monte Carlo integration schemes. I will review a recent proposal for factorizing the fermion determinant in lattice QCD that leads to a local action in the gauge field and in the auxiliary boson fields. Once combined with the corresponding factorization of the quark propagator, it paves the way for multi-level Monte Carlo integration in the presence of fermions opening new perspectives in lattice QCD. Exploratory results on the impact on the above mentioned observables will be presented.

Fermion Cooper pairing with unequal masses: Standard field theory approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He Lianyi; Jin Meng; Zhuang Pengfei

Fermion Cooper pairing with unequal masses is investigated in a standard field theory approach. We derived the superfluid density and Meissner mass squared of the U(1) gauge field in a general two-species model and found that the often used proportional relation between the two quantities is broken when the fermion masses are unequal. In the weak-coupling region, the superfluid density is always negative but the Meissner mass squared becomes mostly positive when the mass ratio between the pairing fermions is large enough. We established a proper momentum configuration of the LOFF pairing with unequal masses and showed that the LOFFmore » state is energetically favored due to the negative superfluid density. The single-plane-wave LOFF state is physically equivalent to an anisotropic state with a spontaneously generated superflow. The extension to a finite-range interaction is briefly discussed.« less

New directions in the pursuit of Majorana fermions in solid state systems.

PubMed

Alicea, Jason

2012-07-01

The 1937 theoretical discovery of Majorana fermions-whose defining property is that they are their own anti-particles-has since impacted diverse problems ranging from neutrino physics and dark matter searches to the fractional quantum Hall effect and superconductivity. Despite this long history the unambiguous observation of Majorana fermions nevertheless remains an outstanding goal. This review paper highlights recent advances in the condensed matter search for Majorana that have led many in the field to believe that this quest may soon bear fruit. We begin by introducing in some detail exotic 'topological' one- and two-dimensional superconductors that support Majorana fermions at their boundaries and at vortices. We then turn to one of the key insights that arose during the past few years; namely, that it is possible to 'engineer' such exotic superconductors in the laboratory by forming appropriate heterostructures with ordinary s-wave superconductors. Numerous proposals of this type are discussed, based on diverse materials such as topological insulators, conventional semiconductors, ferromagnetic metals and many others. The all-important question of how one experimentally detects Majorana fermions in these setups is then addressed. We focus on three classes of measurements that provide smoking-gun Majorana signatures: tunneling, Josephson effects and interferometry. Finally, we discuss the most remarkable properties of condensed matter Majorana fermions-the non-Abelian exchange statistics that they generate and their associated potential for quantum computation.

Theory of a peristaltic pump for fermionic quantum fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romeo, F.; Citro, R.

2018-05-01

Motivated by the recent developments in fermionic cold atoms and in nanostructured systems, we propose the model of a peristaltic quantum pump. Differently from the Thouless paradigm, a peristaltic pump is a quantum device that generates a particle flux as the effect of a sliding finite-size microlattice. A one-dimensional tight-binding Hamiltonian model of this quantum machine is formulated and analyzed within a lattice Green's function formalism on the Keldysh contour. The pump observables, as, e.g., the pumped particles per cycle, are studied as a function of the pumping frequency, the width of the pumping potential, the particles mean free path, and system temperature. The proposed analysis applies to arbitrary peristaltic potentials acting on fermionic quantum fluids confined to one dimension. These confinement conditions can be realized in nanostructured systems or, in a more controllable way, in cold atoms experiments. In view of the validation of the theoretical results, we describe the outcomes of the model considering a fermionic cold atoms system as a paradigmatic example.

Fermionic halos at finite temperature in AdS/CFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argüelles, Carlos R.; Grandi, Nicolás E.

2018-05-01

We explore the gravitational backreaction of a system consisting in a very large number of elementary fermions at finite temperature, in asymptotically AdS space. We work in the hydrodynamic approximation, and solve the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations with a perfect fluid whose equation of state takes into account both the relativistic effects of the fermionic constituents, as well as its finite temperature effects. We find a novel dense core-diluted halo structure for the density profiles in the AdS bulk, similarly as recently reported in flat space, for the case of astrophysical dark matter halos in galaxies. We further study the critical equilibrium configurations above which the core undergoes gravitational collapse towards a massive black hole, and calculate the corresponding critical central temperatures, for two qualitatively different central regimes of the fermions: the diluted-Fermi case, and the degenerate case. As a probe for the dual CFT, we construct the holographic two-point correlator of a scalar operator with large conformal dimension in the worldline limit, and briefly discuss on the boundary CFT effects at the critical points.

Dual fermionic variables and renormalization group approach to junctions of strongly interacting quantum wires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuliano, Domenico; Nava, Andrea

2015-09-01

Making a combined use of bosonization and fermionization techniques, we build nonlocal transformations between dual fermion operators, describing junctions of strongly interacting spinful one-dimensional quantum wires. Our approach allows for trading strongly interacting (in the original coordinates) fermionic Hamiltonians for weakly interacting (in the dual coordinates) ones. It enables us to generalize to the strongly interacting regime the fermionic renormalization group approach to weakly interacting junctions. As a result, on one hand, we are able to pertinently complement the information about the phase diagram of the junction obtained within the bosonization approach; on the other hand, we map out the full crossover of the conductance tensors between any two fixed points in the phase diagram connected by a renormalization group trajectory.

BCS to BEC evolution for mixtures of fermions with unequal masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Melo, Carlos A. R. Sa

2009-03-01

I discuss the zero and finite temperature phase diagrams of a mixture of fermions with unequal masses with and without population imbalance, which may correspond for example to mixtures of ^6Li and ^40K, ^6Li and ^87Sr, or ^40K and ^87Sr in the context of ultracold atoms. At zero temperature and when excess fermions are present, at least three phases may occur as the interaction parameter is changed from the BCS to the BEC regime. These phases correspond to normal, phase separation, or superfluid with coexistence between paired and excess fermions. The zero temperature phase diagram of population imbalance versus interaction parameter presents a remarkable asymmetry between the cases involving excess lighter or heavier fermions [1, 2], in sharp contrast with the symmetric phase diagram corresponding to the case of equal masses. At finite temperatures, the phase separation region of the phase diagram competes with superfluid regions possessing gapless elementary excitations [3] for certain ranges of the interaction parameter depending on the mass ratio. Furthermore, a phase transition may take place between two superfluid phases which are topologically distinct. The precise location of such transition is sensitive to the mass ratio between the two species of fermions. Signatures of this possible topological transition are present in the momentum distribution or structure factor, which may be measured experimentally in time-of-flight or through Bragg scattering, respectively. Lastly, throughout the evolution from BCS to BEC, I discuss the critical current and sound velocity for unequal mass systems as a function of interaction parameter and mass ratio. These quantities may also be measured via the same techniques already used in mixtures of fermions with equal masses. [1] M. Iskin, and C. A. R. Sa de Melo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 100404 (2006). [2] M. Iskin and C. A. R. Sa de Melo, Phys. Rev. A 76, 013601 (2007). [3] Li Han, and C. A. R. Sa de Melo, arXiv:0812.xxxx

High temperature Ir segregation in Ir-B ceramics: Effect of oxygen presence on stability of IrB 2 and other Ir-B phases

DOE PAGES

Xie, Zhilin; Terracciano, Anthony C.; Cullen, David A.; ...

2015-05-13

The formation of IrB 2, IrB 1.35, IrB 1.1 and IrB monoboride phases in the Ir–B ceramic nanopowder was confirmed during mechanochemical reaction between metallic Ir and elemental B powders. The Ir–B phases were analysed after 90 h of high energy ball milling and after annealing of the powder for 72 h at 1050°C in vacuo. The iridium monoboride (IrB) orthorhombic phase was synthesised experimentally for the first time and identified by powder X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the ReB 2 type IrB 2 hexagonal phase was also produced for the first time and identified by high resolution transmission electron microscope. Irmore » segregation along disordered domains of the boron lattice was found to occur during high temperature annealing. Furthermore, these nanodomains may have useful catalytic properties.« less

A fermionic de Finetti theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krumnow, Christian; Zimborás, Zoltán; Eisert, Jens

2017-12-01

Quantum versions of de Finetti's theorem are powerful tools, yielding conceptually important insights into the security of key distribution protocols or tomography schemes and allowing one to bound the error made by mean-field approaches. Such theorems link the symmetry of a quantum state under the exchange of subsystems to negligible quantum correlations and are well understood and established in the context of distinguishable particles. In this work, we derive a de Finetti theorem for finite sized Majorana fermionic systems. It is shown, much reflecting the spirit of other quantum de Finetti theorems, that a state which is invariant under certain permutations of modes loses most of its anti-symmetric character and is locally well described by a mode separable state. We discuss the structure of the resulting mode separable states and establish in specific instances a quantitative link to the quality of the Hartree-Fock approximation of quantum systems. We hint at a link to generalized Pauli principles for one-body reduced density operators. Finally, building upon the obtained de Finetti theorem, we generalize and extend the applicability of Hudson's fermionic central limit theorem.

Fermion hierarchy from sfermion anarchy

DOE PAGES

Altmannshofer, Wolfgang; Frugiuele, Claudia; Harnik, Roni

2014-12-31

We present a framework to generate the hierarchical flavor structure of Standard Model quarks and leptons from loops of superpartners. The simplest model consists of the minimal supersymmetric standard model with tree level Yukawa couplings for the third generation only and anarchic squark and slepton mass matrices. Agreement with constraints from low energy flavor observables, in particular Kaon mixing, is obtained for supersymmetric particles with masses at the PeV scale or above. In our framework both the second and the first generation fermion masses are generated at 1-loop. Despite this, a novel mechanism generates a hierarchy among the first andmore » second generations without imposing a symmetry or small parameters. A second-to-first generation mass ratio of order 100 is typical. The minimal supersymmetric standard model thus includes all the necessary ingredients to realize a fermion spectrum that is qualitatively similar to observation, with hierarchical masses and mixing. The minimal framework produces only a few quantitative discrepancies with observation, most notably the muon mass is too low. Furthermore, we discuss simple modifications which resolve this and also investigate the compatibility of our model with gauge and Yukawa coupling Unification.« less

Classification of symmetry-protected phases for interacting fermions in two dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Meng; Bi, Zhen; You, Yi-Zhuang; Gu, Zheng-Cheng

2018-05-01

Recently, it has been established that two-dimensional bosonic symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases with on-site unitary symmetry G can be completely classified by the group cohomology H3( G ,U (1 ) ) . Later, group supercohomology was proposed as a partial classification for SPT phases of interacting fermions. In this work, we revisit this problem based on the algebraic theory of symmetry and defects in two-dimensional topological phases. We reproduce the partial classifications given by group supercohomology, and we also show that with an additional H1(G ,Z2) structure, a complete classification of SPT phases for two-dimensional interacting fermion systems with a total symmetry group G ×Z2f is obtained. We also discuss the classification of interacting fermionic SPT phases protected by time-reversal symmetry.

Very heavy MSSM higgs-bosson production at the linear collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, T.; Heinemeyer, S.; Weiglein, G.

2003-03-01

In the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM) we present the corrections to the heavy neutral CP-even Higgs-boson production in the WW-fusion and Higgs-strahlung channel, e +e - → overlinevv H , taking into account all O(α) corrections arising from loops of fermions and sfermions. While the H boson shows decoupling behavior at the tree-level, we find non-negligible loop corrections that can enhance the cross section considerably. At a center-of-mass energy of √ s = 1000 GeV, masses of up to MH ⪅ 750 GeV are accessible at the LC in favorable regions of the MSSM parameter space.

Gapped fermionic spectrum from a domain wall in seven dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, Subir; Rai, Nishal

2018-05-01

We obtain a domain wall solution in maximally gauged seven dimensional supergravity, which interpolates between two AdS spaces and spontaneously breaks a U (1) symmetry. We analyse frequency dependence of conductivity and find power law behaviour at low frequency. We consider certain fermions of supergravity in the background of this domain wall and compute holographic spectral function of the operators in the dual six dimensional theory. We find fermionic operators involving bosons with non-zero expectation value lead to gapped spectrum.

Ward identities and chiral anomalies for coupled fermionic chains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Costa, L. C.; Ferraz, A.; Mastropietro, Vieri

2013-12-15

Coupled fermionic chains are usually described by an effective model written in terms of bonding and anti-bonding fermionic fields with linear dispersion in the vicinities of the respective Fermi points. We derive for the first time exact Ward Identities (WI) for this model, proving the existence of chiral anomalies which verify the Adler-Bardeen non-renormalization property. Such WI are expected to play a crucial role in the understanding of the thermodynamic properties of the system. Our results are non-perturbative and are obtained analyzing Grassmann functional integrals by means of constructive quantum field theory methods.

Counting local integrals of motion in disordered spinless-fermion and Hubbard chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mierzejewski, Marcin; Kozarzewski, Maciej; Prelovšek, Peter

2018-02-01

We develop a procedure which systematically generates all conserved operators in the disordered models of interacting fermions. Among these operators, we identify and count the independent and local integrals of motion (LIOM), which represent the hallmark of the many-body localization (MBL). The method is tested first on the prototype disordered chain of interacting spinless fermions. As expected for full MBL, we find for large enough disorder NM=2M-1 independent and quasilocal LIOM with support on M consecutive sites. On the other hand, the study of the disordered Hubbard chain reveals that 3M-1 fermions.

Split Orthogonal Group: A Guiding Principle for Sign-Problem-Free Fermionic Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lei; Liu, Ye-Hua; Iazzi, Mauro; Troyer, Matthias; Harcos, Gergely

2015-12-01

We present a guiding principle for designing fermionic Hamiltonians and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods that are free from the infamous sign problem by exploiting the Lie groups and Lie algebras that appear naturally in the Monte Carlo weight of fermionic QMC simulations. Specifically, rigorous mathematical constraints on the determinants involving matrices that lie in the split orthogonal group provide a guideline for sign-free simulations of fermionic models on bipartite lattices. This guiding principle not only unifies the recent solutions of the sign problem based on the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo methods and the Majorana representation, but also suggests new efficient algorithms to simulate physical systems that were previously prohibitive because of the sign problem.

Instability of gravitational baryogenesis with fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arbuzova, E.; Dolgov, A., E-mail: arbuzova@uni-dubna.ru, E-mail: dolgov@fe.infn.it

2017-06-01

The derivative coupling of baryonic current to the curvature scalar in gravitational baryogenesis scenarios leads to higher order equations for gravitational field. It is shown that these equations are strongly unstable and destroy standard cosmology. This is a generalization of our earlier results obtained for scalar baryons to realistic fermions.

Three-component fermions with surface Fermi arcs in tungsten carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, J.-Z.; He, J.-B.; Xu, Y.-F.; Lv, B. Q.; Chen, D.; Zhu, W.-L.; Zhang, S.; Kong, L.-Y.; Gao, X.; Rong, L.-Y.; Huang, Y.-B.; Richard, P.; Xi, C.-Y.; Choi, E. S.; Shao, Y.; Wang, Y.-L.; Gao, H.-J.; Dai, X.; Fang, C.; Weng, H.-M.; Chen, G.-F.; Qian, T.; Ding, H.

2018-04-01

Topological Dirac and Weyl semimetals not only host quasiparticles analogous to the elementary fermionic particles in high-energy physics, but also have a non-trivial band topology manifested by gapless surface states, which induce exotic surface Fermi arcs1,2. Recent advances suggest new types of topological semimetal, in which spatial symmetries protect gapless electronic excitations without high-energy analogues3-11. Here, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we observe triply degenerate nodal points near the Fermi level of tungsten carbide with space group P 6 ¯m 2 (no. 187), in which the low-energy quasiparticles are described as three-component fermions distinct from Dirac and Weyl fermions. We further observe topological surface states, whose constant-energy contours constitute pairs of `Fermi arcs' connecting to the surface projections of the triply degenerate nodal points, proving the non-trivial topology of the newly identified semimetal state.

Non-thermal leptogenesis with distinct CP violation and minimal dark matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Hang; Gu, Pei-Hong, E-mail: einsteinzh@sjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: peihong.gu@sjtu.edu.cn

We demonstrate a unified scenario for neutrino mass, baryon asymmetry, dark matter and inflation. In addition to a fermion triplet for the so-called minimal dark matter, we extend the standard model by three heavy fields including a scalar singlet, a fermion triplet and a fermion singlet/Higgs triplet. The heavy scalar singlet, which is expected to drive an inflation, and the dark matter fermion triplet are odd under an unbroken Z {sub 2} discrete symmetry, while the other fields are all even. The heavy fermion triplet offers a tree-level type-III seesaw and then mediates a three-body decay of the inflaton intomore » the standard model lepton and Higgs doublets with the dark matter fermion triplet. The heavy fermion singlet/Higgs triplet not only results in a type-I/II seesaw at tree level but also contributes to the inflaton decay at one-loop level. In this scenario, the type-I/II seesaw contains all of the physical CP phases in the lepton sector and hence the CP violation for the non-thermal leptogenesis by the inflaton decay exactly comes from the imaginary part of the neutrino mass matrix.« less

Index theorem for non-supersymmetric fermions coupled to a non-Abelian string and electric charge quantization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shifman, M.; Yung, A.

2018-03-01

Non-Abelian strings are considered in non-supersymmetric theories with fermions in various appropriate representations of the gauge group U(N). We derive the electric charge quantization conditions and the index theorems counting fermion zero modes in the string background both for the left-handed and right-handed fermions. In both cases we observe a non-trivial N dependence.

Phase diagram and re-entrant fermionic entanglement in a hybrid Ising-Hubbard ladder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sousa, H. S.; Pereira, M. S. S.; de Oliveira, I. N.; Strečka, J.; Lyra, M. L.

2018-05-01

The degree of fermionic entanglement is examined in an exactly solvable Ising-Hubbard ladder, which involves interacting electrons on the ladder's rungs described by Hubbard dimers at half-filling on each rung, accounting for intrarung hopping and Coulomb terms. The coupling between neighboring Hubbard dimers is assumed to have an Ising-like nature. The ground-state phase diagram consists of four distinct regions corresponding to the saturated paramagnetic, the classical antiferromagnetic, the quantum antiferromagnetic, and the mixed classical-quantum phase. We have exactly computed the fermionic concurrence, which measures the degree of quantum entanglement between the pair of electrons on the ladder rungs. The effects of the hopping amplitude, the Coulomb term, temperature, and magnetic fields on the fermionic entanglement are explored in detail. It is shown that the fermionic concurrence displays a re-entrant behavior when quantum entanglement is being generated at moderate temperatures above the classical saturated paramagnetic ground state.

Entanglement and the fermion sign problem in auxiliary field quantum Monte Carlo simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broecker, Peter; Trebst, Simon

2016-08-01

Quantum Monte Carlo simulations of fermions are hampered by the notorious sign problem whose most striking manifestation is an exponential growth of sampling errors with the number of particles. With the sign problem known to be an NP-hard problem and any generic solution thus highly elusive, the Monte Carlo sampling of interacting many-fermion systems is commonly thought to be restricted to a small class of model systems for which a sign-free basis has been identified. Here we demonstrate that entanglement measures, in particular the so-called Rényi entropies, can intrinsically exhibit a certain robustness against the sign problem in auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo approaches and possibly allow for the identification of global ground-state properties via their scaling behavior even in the presence of a strong sign problem. We corroborate these findings via numerical simulations of fermionic quantum phase transitions of spinless fermions on the honeycomb lattice at and below half filling.

Dark matter direct detection of a fermionic singlet at one loop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero-García, Juan; Molinaro, Emiliano; Schmidt, Michael A.

2018-06-01

The strong direct detection limits could be pointing to dark matter - nucleus scattering at loop level. We study in detail the prototype example of an electroweak singlet (Dirac or Majorana) dark matter fermion coupled to an extended dark sector, which is composed of a new fermion and a new scalar. Given the strong limits on colored particles from direct and indirect searches we assume that the fields of the new dark sector are color singlets. We outline the possible simplified models, including the well-motivated cases in which the extra scalar or fermion is a Standard Model particle, as well as the possible connection to neutrino masses. We compute the contributions to direct detection from the photon, the Z and the Higgs penguins for arbitrary quantum numbers of the dark sector. Furthermore, we derive compact expressions in certain limits, i.e., when all new particles are heavier than the dark matter mass and when the fermion running in the loop is light, like a Standard Model lepton. We study in detail the predicted direct detection rate and how current and future direct detection limits constrain the model parameters. In case dark matter couples directly to Standard Model leptons we find an interesting interplay between lepton flavor violation, direct detection and the observed relic abundance.

Calibrated Mid-wave Infrared (IR) (MidIR) and Long-wave IR (LWIR) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

LWIR long-wave IR MCT mercury cadmium telluride MidIR mid-wave IR NUC nonuniformity corrections ROI regions-of-interest 22 No. of Copies...Calibrated Mid-wave Infrared (IR) (MidIR) and Long-wave IR ( LWIR ) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP) by Kristan P. Gurton and... LWIR ) Stokes and Degree-of-Liner Polarization (DOLP) Kristan P. Gurton and Melvin Felton Computational and Information Sciences Directorate

Proposal to probe quantum nonlocality of Majorana fermions in tunneling experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sau, Jay D.; Swingle, Brian; Tewari, Sumanta

2015-07-01

Topological Majorana fermion (MF) quasiparticles have been recently suggested to exist in semiconductor quantum wires with proximity induced superconductivity and a Zeeman field. Although the experimentally observed zero bias tunneling peak and a fractional ac-Josephson effect can be taken as necessary signatures of MFs, neither of them constitutes a sufficient "smoking gun" experiment. Since one pair of Majorana fermions share a single conventional fermionic degree of freedom, MFs are in a sense fractionalized excitations. Based on this fractionalization we propose a tunneling experiment that furnishes a nearly unique signature of end state MFs in semiconductor quantum wires. In particular, we show that a "teleportation"-like experiment is not enough to distinguish MFs from pairs of MFs, which are equivalent to conventional zero energy states, but our proposed tunneling experiment, in principle, can make this distinction.

[Phosphorescent effect of Ir (ppy)3 on the luminescent characteristic of Rubrene].

PubMed

Xu, Hong-Hua; Xu, Zheng; Zhang, Fu-Jun; Zhao, Su-Ling; Yuan, Guang-Cai; Chen, Yue-Ning

2008-07-01

Many organic matters including heavy metal ions can validly utilize the singlet and triplet for luminescence owiog to the spin-orbit coupling. As a result, the internal quantum efficiency can easily achieve a value higher than traditional organic light emitting diodes in theory. There is a strong luminescence of PVK in PVK : PBD : Rubrene system. PL spectra excited by 345 nm of PVK : PBD : Rubrene thin film has a 410 nm PVK luminescent peak and a 560 nm Rubrene peak. EL still has a PVK luminescent peak, which should be kept from happening. Excitons can not adequately transferred from the matrix solution to Rubrene. The doping with Ir(ppy)3 improves the PVK : PBD : Rubrene system performance. PL spectra excited by 345 nm of PVK : PBD : Ir(ppy)3 : Rubrene with low concentration of Rubrene has a 510 nm Ir(ppy)3 peak and a new 548 nm one. However, the Ir(ppy)3 peak is smaller and the Rubrene one is bigger in EL spectra. Notably a strong and single luminescence of Rubrene is obtained in EL and PL spectra excited by 345 nm of PVK : PBD : Ir(ppy)3 : Rubrene with high concentration of Rubrene. Meanwhile, the Ir(ppy)3 luminescent peak disappears. The mechanism originates from the phosphorescent effect of Ir (ppy)3. The singlet excitons can basically be transferred from PVK : PBD or Ir(ppy)3 to Rubrene. But most excitons from Ir (ppy)3 can directly tunnel to the fluorescent material and come into being singlet states that can return to ground states and cause luminescence. Rubrene can accept proportional excitons with low concentration. While the concentration of Rubrene is higher, excitons can be entirely accepted by Rubrene. The effect also restricts the luminescent intensity of Ir(ppy)3 and boosts up that of Rubrene. Furthermore, the energy transfer in PVK : PBD : Ir(ppy)3 : Rubrene system is primary the Forester energy transfer. Excitation spectra of Rubrene and emission spectra of Ir(ppy)3 have a large overlap revealing that there is a strong energy transfer and further

Entanglement dynamics in itinerant fermionic and bosonic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pillarishetty, Durganandini

2017-04-01

The concept of quantum entanglement of identical particles is fundamental in a wide variety of quantum information contexts involving composite quantum systems. However, the role played by particle indistinguishabilty in entanglement determination is being still debated. In this work, we study, theoretically, the entanglement dynamics in some itinerant bosonic and fermionic systems. We show that the dynamical behaviour of particle entanglement and spatial or mode entanglement are in general different. We also discuss the effect of fermionic and bosonic statistics on the dynamical behaviour. We suggest that the different dynamical behaviour can be used to distinguish between particle and mode entanglement in identical particle systems and discuss possible experimental realizations for such studies. I acknowledge financial support from DST, India through research Grant.

Quantum Algorithms to Simulate Many-Body Physics of Correlated Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Zhang; Sung, Kevin J.; Kechedzhi, Kostyantyn; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.; Boixo, Sergio

2018-04-01

Simulating strongly correlated fermionic systems is notoriously hard on classical computers. An alternative approach, as proposed by Feynman, is to use a quantum computer. We discuss simulating strongly correlated fermionic systems using near-term quantum devices. We focus specifically on two-dimensional (2D) or linear geometry with nearest-neighbor qubit-qubit couplings, typical for superconducting transmon qubit arrays. We improve an existing algorithm to prepare an arbitrary Slater determinant by exploiting a unitary symmetry. We also present a quantum algorithm to prepare an arbitrary fermionic Gaussian state with O (N2) gates and O (N ) circuit depth. Both algorithms are optimal in the sense that the numbers of parameters in the quantum circuits are equal to those describing the quantum states. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm to implement the 2D fermionic Fourier transformation on a 2D qubit array with only O (N1.5) gates and O (√{N }) circuit depth, which is the minimum depth required for quantum information to travel across the qubit array. We also present methods to simulate each time step in the evolution of the 2D Fermi-Hubbard model—again on a 2D qubit array—with O (N ) gates and O (√{N }) circuit depth. Finally, we discuss how these algorithms can be used to determine the ground-state properties and phase diagrams of strongly correlated quantum systems using the Hubbard model as an example.

Staggered heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bailey, Jon A.

2008-03-01

Although taste violations significantly affect the results of staggered calculations of pseudoscalar and heavy-light mesonic quantities, those entering staggered calculations of baryonic quantities have not been quantified. Here I develop staggered chiral perturbation theory in the light-quark baryon sector by mapping the Symanzik action into heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. For 2+1 dynamical quark flavors, the masses of flavor-symmetric nucleons are calculated to third order in partially quenched and fully dynamical staggered chiral perturbation theory. To this order the expansion includes the leading chiral logarithms, which come from loops with virtual decuplet-like states, as well as terms of O(m{sub {pi}}{supmore » 3}), which come from loops with virtual octet-like states. Taste violations enter through the meson propagators in loops and tree-level terms of O(a{sup 2}). The pattern of taste symmetry breaking and the resulting degeneracies and mixings are discussed in detail. The resulting chiral forms are appropriate to lattice results obtained with operators already in use and could be used to study the restoration of taste symmetry in the continuum limit. I assume that the fourth root of the fermion determinant can be incorporated in staggered chiral perturbation theory using the replica method.« less

Evidence for magnetic Weyl fermions in a correlated metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, K.; Tomita, T.; Suzuki, M.-T.; Bareille, C.; Nugroho, A. A.; Goswami, P.; Ochi, M.; Ikhlas, M.; Nakayama, M.; Akebi, S.; Noguchi, R.; Ishii, R.; Inami, N.; Ono, K.; Kumigashira, H.; Varykhalov, A.; Muro, T.; Koretsune, T.; Arita, R.; Shin, S.; Kondo, Takeshi; Nakatsuji, S.

2017-11-01

Weyl fermions have been observed as three-dimensional, gapless topological excitations in weakly correlated, inversion-symmetry-breaking semimetals. However, their realization in spontaneously time-reversal-symmetry-breaking phases of strongly correlated materials has so far remained hypothetical. Here, we report experimental evidence for magnetic Weyl fermions in Mn3Sn, a non-collinear antiferromagnet that exhibits a large anomalous Hall effect, even at room temperature. Detailed comparison between angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveals significant bandwidth renormalization and damping effects due to the strong correlation among Mn 3d electrons. Magnetotransport measurements provide strong evidence for the chiral anomaly of Weyl fermions--namely, the emergence of positive magnetoconductance only in the presence of parallel electric and magnetic fields. Since weak magnetic fields (approximately 10 mT) are adequate to control the distribution of Weyl points and the large fictitious fields (equivalent to approximately a few hundred T) produced by them in momentum space, our discovery lays the foundation for a new field of science and technology involving the magnetic Weyl excitations of strongly correlated electron systems such as Mn3Sn.

SDG Fermion-Pair Algebraic SO(12) and Sp(10) Models and Their Boson Realizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navratil, P.; Geyer, H. B.; Dobes, J.; Dobaczewski, J.

1995-11-01

It is shown how the boson mapping formalism may be applied as a useful many-body tool to solve a fermion problem. This is done in the context of generalized Ginocchio models for which we introduce S-, D-, and G-pairs of fermions and subsequently construct the sdg-boson realizations of the generalized Dyson type. The constructed SO(12) and Sp(10) fermion models are solved beyond the explicit symmetry limits. Phase transitions to rotational structures are obtained also in situations where there is no underlying SU(3) symmetry.

Asymptotically Safe Standard Model via Vectorlike Fermions.

PubMed

Mann, R B; Meffe, J R; Sannino, F; Steele, T G; Wang, Z W; Zhang, C

2017-12-29

We construct asymptotically safe extensions of the standard model by adding gauged vectorlike fermions. Using large number-of-flavor techniques we argue that all gauge couplings, including the hypercharge and, under certain conditions, the Higgs coupling, can achieve an interacting ultraviolet fixed point.

Asymptotically Safe Standard Model via Vectorlike Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, R. B.; Meffe, J. R.; Sannino, F.; Steele, T. G.; Wang, Z. W.; Zhang, C.

2017-12-01

We construct asymptotically safe extensions of the standard model by adding gauged vectorlike fermions. Using large number-of-flavor techniques we argue that all gauge couplings, including the hypercharge and, under certain conditions, the Higgs coupling, can achieve an interacting ultraviolet fixed point.

Decoherence and Collisional Frequency Shifts of Trapped Bosons and Fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gibble, Kurt; LNE-SYRTE, Observatoire de Paris, 75014 Paris

2009-09-11

We perform exact calculations of collisional frequency shifts for several fermions or bosons using a singlet and triplet basis for pairs of particles. The 'factor of 2 controversy' for bosons becomes clear - the factor is always 2. Decoherence is described by singlet states and they are unaffected by spatially uniform clock fields. Spatial variations are critical, especially for fermions which were previously thought to be immune to collision shifts. The spatial variations lead to decoherence and a novel frequency shift that is not proportional to the partial density of internal states.

Thermoelectric Transport Signatures of Dirac Composite Fermions in the Half-Filled Landau Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Andrew C.; Serbyn, Maksym; Vishwanath, Ashvin

2016-07-01

The half-filled Landau level is expected to be approximately particle-hole symmetric, which requires an extension of the Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory of the compressible state observed at this filling. Recent work indicates that, when particle-hole symmetry is preserved, the composite fermions experience a quantized π -Berry phase upon winding around the composite Fermi surface, analogous to Dirac fermions at the surface of a 3D topological insulator. In contrast, the effective low-energy theory of the composite fermion liquid originally proposed by HLR lacks particle-hole symmetry and has vanishing Berry phase. In this paper, we explain how thermoelectric transport measurements can be used to test the Dirac nature of the composite fermions by quantitatively extracting this Berry phase. First, we point out that longitudinal thermopower (Seebeck effect) is nonvanishing because of the unusual nature of particle-hole symmetry in this context and is not sensitive to the Berry phase. In contrast, we find that off-diagonal thermopower (Nernst effect) is directly related to the topological structure of the composite Fermi surface, vanishing for zero Berry phase and taking its maximal value for π Berry phase. In contrast, in purely electrical transport signatures, the Berry phase contributions appear as small corrections to a large background signal, making the Nernst effect a promising diagnostic of the Dirac nature of composite fermions.

A complex fermionic tensor model in d dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prakash, Shiroman; Sinha, Ritam

2018-02-01

In this note, we study a melonic tensor model in d dimensions based on three-index Dirac fermions with a four-fermion interaction. Summing the melonic diagrams at strong coupling allows one to define a formal large- N saddle point in arbitrary d and calculate the spectrum of scalar bilinear singlet operators. For d = 2 - ɛ the theory is an infrared fixed point, which we find has a purely real spectrum that we determine numerically for arbitrary d < 2, and analytically as a power series in ɛ. The theory appears to be weakly interacting when ɛ is small, suggesting that fermionic tensor models in 1-dimension can be studied in an ɛ expansion. For d > 2, the spectrum can still be calculated using the saddle point equations, which may define a formal large- N ultraviolet fixed point analogous to the Gross-Neveu model in d > 2. For 2 < d < 6, we find that the spectrum contains at least one complex scalar eigenvalue (similar to the complex eigenvalue present in the bosonic tensor model recently studied by Giombi, Klebanov and Tarnopolsky) which indicates that the theory is unstable. We also find that the fixed point is weakly-interacting when d = 6 (or more generally d = 4 n + 2) and has a real spectrum for 6 < d < 6 .14 which we present as a power series in ɛ in 6 + ɛ dimensions.

Pressure-induced valence change and moderate heavy fermion state in Eu-compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Fuminori; Okauchi, Keigo; Sato, Yoshiki; Nakamura, Ai; Akamine, Hiromu; Ashitomi, Yosuke; Hedo, Masato; Nakama, Takao; Takeuchi, Tetsuya; Valenta, Jaroslav; Prchal, Jiri; Sechovský, Vladimir; Aoki, Dai; Ōnuki, Yoshichika

2018-05-01

A pressure-induced valence transition has attracted much attention in Eu-compounds. Among them, EuRh2Si2, EuNi2Ge2, and EuCo2Ge2 reveal the valence transition around 1, 2, and 3 GPa, respectively. We have succeeded in growing single crystals of EuT2X2 (T: transition metal, X: Si, Ge) and studied electronic properties under pressure. EuRh2Si2 indicates a first-order valence transition between 1 and 2 GPa, with a large and prominent hysteresis in the electrical resistivity. At higher pressures, the first-order valence transition changes to a cross-over regime with an intermediate valence state. Tuning of the valence state with pressure is reflected in a drastic change of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity in EuRh2Si2 single crystals. Effect of pressure on the valence states on EuRh2Si2, EuIr2Si2, EuNi2Ge2, and EuCo2Ge2, as well as an isostructural related compound EuGa4, are reviewed.

Conformal versus confining scenario in SU(2) with adjoint fermions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Del Debbio, L.; Pica, C.; Lucini, B.

2009-10-01

The masses of the lowest-lying states in the meson and in the gluonic sector of an SU(2) gauge theory with two Dirac flavors in the adjoint representation are measured on the lattice at a fixed value of the lattice coupling {beta}=4/g{sub 0}{sup 2}=2.25 for values of the bare fermion mass m{sub 0} that span a range between the quenched regime and the massless limit, and for various lattice volumes. Even for light constituent fermions the lightest glueballs are found to be lighter than the lightest mesons. Moreover, the string tension between two static fundamental sources strongly depends on the massmore » of the dynamical fermions and becomes of the order of the inverse squared lattice linear size before the chiral limit is reached. The implications of these findings for the phase of the theory in the massless limit are discussed and a strategy for discriminating between the (near-)conformal and the confining scenario is outlined.« less

Temperature-driven massless Kane fermions in HgCdTe crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teppe, F.; Marcinkiewicz, M.; Krishtopenko, S. S.

2016-08-30

It has recently been shown that electronic states in bulk gapless HgCdTe offer another realization of pseudo-relativistic three-dimensional particles in condensed matter systems. These single valley relativistic states, massless Kane fermions, cannot be described by any other relativistic particles. Furthermore, the HgCdTe band structure can be continuously tailored by modifying cadmium content or temperature. At critical concentration or temperature, the bandgap collapses as the system undergoes a semimetal-to-semiconductor topological phase transition between the inverted and normal alignments. Here, using far-infrared magneto-spectroscopy we explore the continuous evolution of band structure of bulk HgCdTe as temperature is tuned across the topological phasemore » transition. We demonstrate that the rest mass of Kane fermions changes sign at critical temperature, whereas their velocity remains constant. The velocity universal value of (1.07±0.05) × 106 m s -1 remains valid in a broad range of temperatures and Cd concentrations, indicating a striking universality of the pseudo-relativistic description of the Kane fermions in HgCdTe.« less

Lefschetz thimbles in fermionic effective models with repulsive vector-field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Yuto; Kashiwa, Kouji; Ohnishi, Akira

2018-06-01

We discuss two problems in complexified auxiliary fields in fermionic effective models, the auxiliary sign problem associated with the repulsive vector-field and the choice of the cut for the scalar field appearing from the logarithmic function. In the fermionic effective models with attractive scalar and repulsive vector-type interaction, the auxiliary scalar and vector fields appear in the path integral after the bosonization of fermion bilinears. When we make the path integral well-defined by the Wick rotation of the vector field, the oscillating Boltzmann weight appears in the partition function. This "auxiliary" sign problem can be solved by using the Lefschetz-thimble path-integral method, where the integration path is constructed in the complex plane. Another serious obstacle in the numerical construction of Lefschetz thimbles is caused by singular points and cuts induced by multivalued functions of the complexified scalar field in the momentum integration. We propose a new prescription which fixes gradient flow trajectories on the same Riemann sheet in the flow evolution by performing the momentum integration in the complex domain.

Classification of compactified su( N c ) gauge theories with fermions in all representations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anber, Mohamed M.; Vincent-Genod, Loïc

2017-12-01

We classify su( N c ) gauge theories on R^3× S^1 with massless fermions in higher representations obeying periodic boundary conditions along S^1 . In particular, we single out the class of theories that is asymptotically free and weakly coupled in the infrared, and therefore, is amenable to semi-classical treatment. Our study is conducted by carefully identifying the vacua inside the affine Weyl chamber using Verma bases and Frobenius formula techniques. Theories with fermions in pure representations are generally strongly coupled. The only exceptions are the four-index symmetric representation of su(2) and adjoint representation of su( N c ). However, we find a plethora of admissible theories with fermions in mixed representations. A sub-class of these theories have degenerate perturbative vacua separated by domain walls. In particular, su( N c ) theories with fermions in the mixed representations adjoint⊕fundamental and adjoint⊕two-index symmetric admit degenerate vacua that spontaneously break the parity P , charge conjugation C , and time reversal T symmetries. These are the first examples of strictly weakly coupled gauge theories on R^3× S^1 with spontaneously broken C , P , and T symmetries. We also compute the fermion zero modes in the background of monopole-instantons. The monopoles and their composites (topological molecules) proliferate in the vacuum leading to the confinement of electric charges. Interestingly enough, some theories have also accidental degenerate vacua, which are not related by any symmetry. These vacua admit different numbers of fermionic zero modes, and hence, different kinds of topological molecules. The lack of symmetry, however, indicates that such degeneracy might be lifted by higher order corrections. Finally, we study the general phase structure of adjoint⊕fundamental theories in the small circle and decompactification limits.

Split fermions baryogenesis from the Kobayashi-Maskawa phase

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perez, Gilad; Volansky, Tomer

2005-11-15

A new scenario of baryogenesis is presented, within the split fermions framework. Our model employs a first order phase transition of the localizer field. The standard model (SM), Kobayashi-Maskawa phase induces a sizable CP asymmetry. The usual suppression of CP violation which arises in the SM baryogenesis is absent due to the existence of order one Yukawa couplings before the fermions are localized in the extra dimension. Models of the above type naturally contain B-L violating operators, allowed by the SM symmetries, which induce the baryon asymmetry. Our mechanism demonstrates the following concept: the flavor puzzle and the SM failuremore » to create the baryon asymmetry are linked and may have a common resolution which does not rely on introduction of new CP violating sources.« less

Quantum-critical theory of the spin-fermion model and its application to cuprates: normal state analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abanov, Ar.; Chubukov, Andrey V.; Schmalian, J.

2003-03-01

We present the full analysis of the normal state properties of the spin-fermion model near the antiferromagnetic instability in two dimensions. The model describes low-energy fermions interacting with their own collective spin fluctuations, which soften at the antiferromagnetic transition. We argue that in 2D, the system has two typical energies-an effective spin-fermion interaction bar g and an energy ysf below which the system behaves as a Fermi liquid. The ratio of the two determines the dimensionless coupling constant for spin-fermion interaction lambda (2) alpha /line g /omega _{sf} . We show that u scales with the spin correlation length and diverges at criticality. This divergence implies that the conventional perturbative expansion breaks down. We develop a novel approach to the problem-the expansion in either the inverse number of hot spots in the Brillouin zone, or the inverse number of fermionic flavours-which allows us to explicitly account for all terms which diverge as powers of u, and treat the remaining, O(logu) terms in the RG formalism. We apply this technique to study the properties of the spin-fermion model in various frequency and temperature regimes. We present the results for the fermionic spectral function, spin susceptibility, optical conductivity and other observables. We compare our results in detail with the normal state data for the cuprates, and argue that the spin-fermion model is capable of explaining the anomalous normal state properties of the high Tc materials. We also show that the conventional Ӓ theory of the quantum-critical behaviour is inapplicable in 2D due to the singularity of the Ӓ vertex.