A unified theory of ferromagnetic quantum phase transitions in heavy fermion metals

Abstract

Motivated by the recent discovery of a continuous ferromagnetic quantum phase transition in CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$ and its distinction from other U-based heavy fermion metals such as UGe$_2$, we develop a unified explanation of their different ground state properties based on an anisotropic ferromagnetic Kondo-Heisenberg model. We employ an improved large-$N$ Schwinger boson approach and predict a full phase diagram containing both a continuous ferromagnetic quantum phase transition for large magnetic anisotropy and first-order transitions for relatively small anisotropy. Our calculations reveal three different ferromagnetic phases including a half-metallic spin selective Kondo insulator with a constant magnetization. The Fermi surface topologies are found to change abruptly between different phases, consistent with that observed in UGe$_2$. At finite temperatures, we predict the development of Kondo hybridization well above the ferromagnetic long-range order and its relocalization near the phase transition, in good agreement with band measurements in CeRh$_6$Ge$_4$. Our results highlight the importance of magnetic anisotropy and provide a unified theory for understanding the ferromagnetic quantum phase transitions in heavy fermion metals.