Which Quantum Phase Transitions are Described by Local Order Parameter Field Theories?
Abstract
General conditions are formulated that allow to determine which quantum phase transitions in itinerant electron systems can be described by a local Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson or LGW theory solely in terms of the order parameter. A crucial question is the degree to which the order parameter fluctuations couple to other soft modes. Three general classes of homogeneous order parameters, in the particle-hole spin-singlet and spin-triplet channels, and in the particle-particle channel, respectively, are considered. It is shown that the particle-hole spin-singlet class does allow for a local LGW theory, while the other two classes do not. The implications of this result for the critical behavior at various quantum phase transitions are discussed, as is the connection with nonanalyticities in the wavenumber dependence of order parameter susceptibilities in the disordered phase.Keywords
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