The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory
Abstract The understanding of phenomena falling outside the Ginzburg-Landau paradigm of phase transitions represents a key challenge in condensed matter physics. A famous class of examples is constituted by the putative deconfined quantum critical points between two symmetry-broken phases in layered...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54884-w |
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| author | Bilal Hawashin Astrid Eichhorn Lukas Janssen Michael M. Scherer Shouryya Ray |
| author_facet | Bilal Hawashin Astrid Eichhorn Lukas Janssen Michael M. Scherer Shouryya Ray |
| author_sort | Bilal Hawashin |
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| description | Abstract The understanding of phenomena falling outside the Ginzburg-Landau paradigm of phase transitions represents a key challenge in condensed matter physics. A famous class of examples is constituted by the putative deconfined quantum critical points between two symmetry-broken phases in layered quantum magnets, such as pressurised SrCu2(BO3)2. Experiments find a weak first-order transition, which simulations of relevant microscopic models can reproduce. The origin of this behaviour has been a matter of considerable debate for several years. In this work, we demonstrate that the nature of the deconfined quantum critical point can be best understood in terms of a novel dynamical mechanism, termed Nordic walking. Nordic walking denotes a renormalisation group flow arising from a beta function that is flat over a range of couplings. This gives rise to a logarithmic flow that is faster than the well-known walking behaviour, associated with the annihilation and complexification of fixed points, but still significantly slower than the generic running of couplings. The Nordic-walking mechanism can thus explain weak first-order transitions, but may also play a role in high-energy physics, where it could solve hierarchy problems. We analyse the Wess-Zumino-Witten field theory pertinent to deconfined quantum critical points with a topological term in 2+1 dimensions. To this end, we construct an advanced functional renormalisation group approach based on higher-order regulators. We thereby calculate the beta function directly in 2+1 dimensions and provide evidence for Nordic walking. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23517e0e758d4fb088152444e9140829 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-23517e0e758d4fb088152444e91408292025-01-05T12:38:00ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111310.1038/s41467-024-54884-wThe Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theoryBilal Hawashin0Astrid Eichhorn1Lukas Janssen2Michael M. Scherer3Shouryya Ray4Theoretical Physics III, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University BochumCP3-Origins, University of Southern DenmarkInstitut für Theoretische Physik and Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, TU DresdenTheoretical Physics III, Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Ruhr University BochumCP3-Origins, University of Southern DenmarkAbstract The understanding of phenomena falling outside the Ginzburg-Landau paradigm of phase transitions represents a key challenge in condensed matter physics. A famous class of examples is constituted by the putative deconfined quantum critical points between two symmetry-broken phases in layered quantum magnets, such as pressurised SrCu2(BO3)2. Experiments find a weak first-order transition, which simulations of relevant microscopic models can reproduce. The origin of this behaviour has been a matter of considerable debate for several years. In this work, we demonstrate that the nature of the deconfined quantum critical point can be best understood in terms of a novel dynamical mechanism, termed Nordic walking. Nordic walking denotes a renormalisation group flow arising from a beta function that is flat over a range of couplings. This gives rise to a logarithmic flow that is faster than the well-known walking behaviour, associated with the annihilation and complexification of fixed points, but still significantly slower than the generic running of couplings. The Nordic-walking mechanism can thus explain weak first-order transitions, but may also play a role in high-energy physics, where it could solve hierarchy problems. We analyse the Wess-Zumino-Witten field theory pertinent to deconfined quantum critical points with a topological term in 2+1 dimensions. To this end, we construct an advanced functional renormalisation group approach based on higher-order regulators. We thereby calculate the beta function directly in 2+1 dimensions and provide evidence for Nordic walking.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54884-w |
| spellingShingle | Bilal Hawashin Astrid Eichhorn Lukas Janssen Michael M. Scherer Shouryya Ray The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory Nature Communications |
| title | The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory |
| title_full | The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory |
| title_fullStr | The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory |
| title_short | The Nordic-walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from Wess-Zumino-Witten theory |
| title_sort | nordic walking mechanism and its explanation of deconfined pseudocriticality from wess zumino witten theory |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54884-w |
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