Divergence of the Grüneisen ratio at symmetry-enhanced first-order quantum phase transitions

Charlotte Beneke and Matthias Vojta
Phys. Rev. B 103, 174420 – Published 18 May 2021

Abstract

Studies of the Grüneisen ratio, i.e., the ratio between thermal expansion and specific heat, have become a powerful tool in the context of quantum criticality since it was shown theoretically that the Grüneisen ratio displays characteristic power-law divergencies upon approaching the transition point of a continuous quantum phase transition. Here we show that the Grüneisen ratio also diverges at a symmetry-enhanced first-order quantum phase transition, albeit with mean-field exponents, as the enhanced symmetry implies the vanishing of a mode gap which is finite away from the transition. We provide explicit results for simple pseudospin models, both with and without Goldstone modes in the stable phases, and discuss implications.

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  • Received 12 February 2021
  • Revised 16 April 2021
  • Accepted 20 April 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.103.174420

©2021 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsStatistical Physics & ThermodynamicsParticles & Fields

Authors & Affiliations

Charlotte Beneke and Matthias Vojta

  • Institut für Theoretische Physik and Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 103, Iss. 17 — 1 May 2021

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