Theory of the nodal nematic quantum phase transition in superconductors
Abstract
We study the character of an Ising nematic quantum phase transition (QPT) deep inside a d-wave superconducting state with nodal quasiparticles in a two-dimensional tetragonal crystal. We find that, within a 1/N expansion, the transition is continuous. To leading order in 1/N, quantum fluctuations enhance the dispersion anisotropy of the nodal excitations, and cause strong scattering which critically broadens the quasiparticle (qp) peaks in the spectral function, except in a narrow wedge in momentum space near the Fermi surface where the qp's remain sharp. We also consider the possible existence of a nematic glass phase in the presence of weak disorder. Some possible implications for cuprate physics are also discussed.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0705.4099,
title = {Theory of the nodal nematic quantum phase transition in superconductors},
author = {Eun-Ah Kim and Michael J. Lawler and Paul Oreto and Subir Sachdev and Eduardo Fradkin and Steven A. Kivelson},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0705.4099},
year = {2008}
}
Comments
9 page, 4 figures, an error in one of expressions corrected and a new author was added. New references and footnotes are added and this is the version to appear in PRB