Rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition to a strong-coupling critical point
Strongly Correlated Electrons
2013-01-17 v2
Abstract
We investigate the effects of quenched disorder on first-order quantum phase transitions on the example of the -color quantum Ashkin-Teller model. By means of a strong-disorder renormalization group, we demonstrate that quenched disorder rounds the first-order quantum phase transition to a continuous one for both weak and strong coupling between the colors. In the strong coupling case, we find a distinct type of infinite-randomness critical point characterized by additional internal degrees of freedom. We investigate its critical properties in detail, and we discuss broader implications for the fate of first-order quantum phase transitions in disordered systems.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1208.0471,
title = {Rounding of a first-order quantum phase transition to a strong-coupling critical point},
author = {Fawaz Hrahsheh and José A. Hoyos and Thomas Vojta},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1208.0471},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures