Abelian two-Higgs model of strongly correlated electrons: Phase structure, strengthening of phase transition, and QCD at finite density

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.76.184502· OSTI ID:21052772

Bock, M; Schiller, A ^[1]; Chernodub, M N ^[2]; Ilgenfritz, E -M ^[3]

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1. Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Universitaet Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig (Germany)
2. ITEP, B. Cheremushkinskaya 25, 117218 Moscow (Russian Federation)
3. Institut fuer Physik, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Newtonstrasse 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

We investigate nonperturbative features of a three-dimensional Abelian Higgs model with singly and doubly charged scalar fields coupled to a single compact Abelian gauge field. The model is pretending to describe various planar systems of strongly correlated electrons such as high-T{sub c} superconductivity in the overdoped regime and exotic materials possessing excitations with fractionalized quantum numbers. The complicated phase structure of the model is studied thoroughly using numerical tools and analytical arguments. In the three-dimensional space of coupling parameters we identify the Fermi liquid, the spin gap, the superconductor and the strange metallic phases. The behavior of three kinds of topological defects--holon, spinon vortices, and monopoles--is explored in various phases. We also observe an effect, the strong enhancement of the phase transition strength reflected in a lower order of the transition: at sufficiently strong gauge coupling the two second-order phase transitions--corresponding to spinon pair and holon condensation lines--join partially in the phase diagram and become a first-order phase transition in that region. The last observation may have an analog in quantum chromodynamics at nonzero temperature and finite baryon density. We argue that at sufficiently large baryon density the finite-temperature transition between the (three-flavor paired) color superconducting phase and the quark-gluon plasma phases should be much stronger compared with the transition between two-flavor paired and three-flavor paired superconducting phases.

• OSTI ID: 21052772
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 76, Issue 18; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.76.184502; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BARYONS
COLOR MODEL
DENSITY
ELECTRON CORRELATION
EXCITATION
FERMI GAS
FLAVOR MODEL
HIGGS MODEL
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
QUANTUM CHROMODYNAMICS
QUARK MATTER
SPIN
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
SUPERCONDUCTORS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE