Abstract

Pursuing complementary field-theoretic and numerical methods, we here paint the global phase diagram of a three-dimensional dirty Weyl system. The generalized Harris criterion, augmented by a perturbative renormalization-group (RG) analysis shows that weak disorder is an irrelevant perturbation at the Weyl semimetal(WSM)-insulator quantum critical point (QCP). But, a metallic phase sets in through a quantum phase transition (QPT) at strong disorder across a multicritical point (MCP). The field theoretic predictions for the correlation length exponent $\nu=2$ and dynamic scaling exponent $z=5/4$ at this MCP are in good agreement with the ones extracted numerically, yielding $\nu=1.98 \pm 0.10$ and $z=1.26 \pm 0.05$, from the scaling of the average density of states (DOS). Deep inside the WSM phase, generic disorder is also an irrelevant perturbation, while a metallic phase appears at strong disorder through a QPT. We here demonstrate that in the presence of generic, but strong disorder the WSM-metal QPT is ultimately always characterized by the exponents $\nu=1$ and $z=3/2$ (to one-loop order), originating from intra-node or chiral symmetric (e.g., regular and axial potential) disorder. We here anchor such emergent \emph{chiral superuniversality} through complementary RG calculations, controlled via $\epsilon$-expansions, and numerical analysis of average DOS across WSM-metal QPT. In addition, we also discuss a subsequent QPT (at even stronger disorder) of a Weyl metal into an Anderson insulator by numerically computing the typical DOS at zero energy. The scaling behavior of various physical observables, such as residue of quasiparticle pole, dynamic conductivity, specific heat, Gr$\ddot{\mbox{u}}$neisen ratio, inside various phases as well as across various QPTs in the global phase diagram of a dirty Weyl liquid are discussed.

Highlights

  • The complex energy landscape of electronic quantummechanical states in solid-state compounds, commonly known as band structure, can display accidental or symmetry-protected band touching at isolated points in the Brillouin zone [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]

  • We study the role of generic disorder in a Weyl semimetal, by considering its simplest realization, composed of only two Weyl nodes

  • When the system resides in the proximity of semimetal-insulator quantum phase transition, the generalized Harris criterion suggests that such a critical point is stable in the presence of weak but generic disorder

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

The complex energy landscape of electronic quantummechanical states in solid-state compounds, commonly known as band structure, can display accidental or symmetry-protected band touching at isolated points in the Brillouin zone [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. (3) By following the scaling of DOS along the phase boundary (the black dashed line in Fig. 1) between the WSM and insulator with increasing randomness in the system, we numerically extract ν and z at the MCP across the critical semimetal-metal QPT (see Fig. 2). In lattice-based simulations the WSM-metal QPT is expected to be controlled by the QCPs associated with CSP disorder We anchor this outcome by numerically computing the DOS in the presence of all four internode scatterings (see Fig. 3 (lower panel)] and find that across WSM-metal QPTs, driven by any CSB disorder, z ≈ 1.5 and ν ≈ 1 [see Table II].

LATTICE MODEL FOR WEYL SYSTEM
EFFECTS OF DISORDER ON SEMIMETAL-INSULATOR TRANSITION
Perturbative RG analysis
Scaling of density of states near WSM-insulator QCP
DIRTY WEYL SEMIMETAL
Hamiltonian and action
Self-energy and dynamic scaling exponent
Vertex correction
CHIRAL-SYMMETRIC OR INTRANODE DISORDER
Chiral superuniversality
NUMERICAL DEMONSTRATION OF CHIRAL SUPERUNIVERSALITY
Numerical analysis with random internode scatterers or nonchiral disorder
CHIRAL-SYMMETRY-BREAKING OR INTERNODE DISORDER
Mass disorder
Why is the chiral superuniversality so robust?
VIII. QUANTUM-CRITICAL SCALING OF PHYSICAL OBSERVABLES
Residue of quasiparticle pole
Average density of states
Conductivity
Specific heat
Mean-free path
Grüneisen parameter
ANDERSON TRANSITION
X L3 X2
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION
Self-energy
Vertex
Ladder crossing
Estimation of Wc
Estimation of z
Estimation of ν
RG flow equations from εm expansion
RG flow equations from εd expansion
Ω dDxeiΩx0 hjxðxÞjxð0ÞiR
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