Stability of Quantum Critical Points in the Presence of Competing Orders

Abstract

We investigate the stability of Quantum Critical Points (QCPs) in the presence of two competing phases. These phases near QCPs are assumed to be either classical or quantum and assumed to repulsively interact via square-square interactions. We find that for any dynamical exponents and for any dimensionality strong enough interaction renders QCPs unstable, and drives transitions to become first order. We propose that this instability and the onset of first-order transitions lead to spatially inhomogeneous states in practical materials near putative QCPs. Our analysis also leads us to suggest that there is a breakdown of Conformal Field Theory (CFT) scaling in the Anti de Sitter models, and in fact these models contain first-order transitions in the strong coupling limit.

28 pages, 14 figures

References in corpus (27)

• Magnetic Order versus superconductivity in the Iron-based layered La(O1-xFx)FeAs systems
• Fermi-liquid instabilities at magnetic quantum phase transitions
• "Deconfined" quantum critical points
• Quantum Criticality in Heavy Fermion Metals
• Quantum oscillations and the Fermi surface in an underdoped high-Tc superconductor
• Quantum criticality beyond the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm
• Magnetic order in BaFe2As2, the parent compound of the FeAs based superconductors in a new structural family
• Structural and magnetic phase diagram of CeFeAsO1-xFx and its relationship to high-temperature superconductivity
• Theory of Electron Nematic Order in LaOFeAs
• Effects of Co substitution on thermodynamic and transport properties and anisotropic $H_{c2}$ in Ba(Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$)${}_2$As${}_2$ single crystals
• Determination of the phase diagram of the electron doped superconductor Ba(Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$)${}_2$As${}_2$
• Ising and Spin orders in Iron-based Superconductors
• Formation of a Nematic Fluid at High Fields in Sr3Ru2O7
• Lattice and magnetic instabilities in CaFe2As2: A single crystal neutron diffraction study
• Critical fermi surfaces and non-fermi liquid metals
• Magnetic and structural transitions in layered FeAs systems: AFe2As2 versus RFeAsO compounds
• Spin and Lattice Structure of Single Crystal SrFe2As2
• Structural transition and anisotropic properties of single crystalline SrFe2As2
• Spin susceptibility, phase diagram, and quantum criticality in the electron-doped high Tc Superconductor Ba[Fe(1-x)Co(x)]2As2
• Crystal structure and phase transitions across the metal-superconductor boundary in the SmFeAsO1-xFx (0 < x < 0.20) family
• Competition between spin density wave order and superconductivity in the underdoped cuprates
• Unconventional metamagnetic electron states in orbital band systems
• Pressure-induced unconventional superconductivity in the heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CeIn3: An 115In-NQR study under pressure
• Quantum critical point shifts under superconductivity: the pnictides and the cuprates
• Spin-density-wave order in cuprates
• Renormalized phi^6 model for quantum phase transitions in systems of itinerant fermions
• Universal behavior at discontinuous quantum phase transitions