English

Anomalous Quantum Criticality at a Continuous Metal-Insulator Transition

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2026-01-22 v1 Disordered Systems and Neural Networks

Abstract

The Falicov-Kimball model (FKM) is long known to be the simplest model of correlated fermions exhibiting a novel Mott-like quantum critical point (QCP) assocaited with a {\it continuous} MIT in dimensions D3D \geq 3. It is also known to be isomorphic to an {\it annealed} binary-alloy disorder model. Notwithstanding extensive numerical studies for the FKM, analytic insight into the microscopic processes spawning novel Mott-like quantum criticality is scarce. Here, we develop a fully analytic theory for the Mott-like quantum criticality in the FKM on a hierarchical Cayley tree (Bethe lattice) by utilizing a single input from a 2-site cluster-dynamical mean-field theory (CDMFT). We find that density fluctuation modes acquire anomalous dimensions, originating from infra-red power-law singular cluster self-energies. Interestingly, we uncover, at T=0T=0, that this {\it sub-diffusive} metal with glassy dynamics separating a weakly ergodic metal from a non-ergodic insulator shrinks to a single point, namely the Mott-like QCP, at least on the Bethe lattice. We detail the consequences of this anomalous quantum criticality for a range of thermal and dynamical responses in a variety of physical systems that can be effectively modelled by the FKM.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2601.15007,
  title  = {Anomalous Quantum Criticality at a Continuous Metal-Insulator Transition},
  author = {M. S. Laad and Prosenjit Haldar},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2601.15007},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

17 pages, 3 figures