Quantum critical paraelectrics and the Casimir effect in time

L. Pálová, P. Chandra, and P. Coleman
Phys. Rev. B 79, 075101 – Published 4 February 2009; Erratum Phys. Rev. B 84, 119910 (2011)

Abstract

We study the quantum paraelectric-ferroelectric transition near a quantum critical point, emphasizing the role of temperature as a “finite-size effect” in time. The influence of temperature near quantum criticality may thus be likened to a temporal Casimir effect. The resulting finite-size scaling approach yields 1T2 behavior of the paraelectric susceptibility (χ) and the scaling form χ(ω,T)=1ω2F(ωT), recovering results previously found by more technical methods. We use a Gaussian theory to illustrate how these temperature dependences emerge from a microscopic approach; we characterize the classical-quantum crossover in χ, and the resulting phase diagram is presented. We also show that coupling to an acoustic phonon at low temperatures (T) is relevant and influences the transition line, possibly resulting in a reentrant quantum ferroelectric phase. Observable consequences of our approach for measurements on specific paraelectric materials at low temperatures are discussed.

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  • Received 27 March 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.79.075101

©2009 American Physical Society

Erratum

Erratum: Quantum critical paraelectrics and the Casimir effect in time [Phys. Rev. B 79, 075101 (2009)]

L. Pálová, P. Chandra, and P. Coleman
Phys. Rev. B 84, 119910 (2011)

Authors & Affiliations

L. Pálová, P. Chandra, and P. Coleman

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA

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Issue

Vol. 79, Iss. 7 — 15 February 2009

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