Relativistic Fermions Research Articles

Wilson-Fisher fixed points in the presence of Dirac fermions

Wilson–Fisher expansion near upper critical dimension has proven to be an invaluable conceptual and computational tool in our understanding of the universal critical behavior in the [Formula: see text] field theories that describe low-energy physics of the canonical models, such as Ising, XY, and Heisenberg. Here, I review its application to a class of the Gross–Neveu–Yukawa (GNY) field theories, which emerge as possible universal description of a number of quantum phase transitions in electronic two-dimensional systems such as graphene and d-wave superconductors. GNY field theories may be viewed as minimal modifications of the [Formula: see text] field theories in which the order parameter is coupled to relativistic Dirac fermions through Yukawa term and which still exhibit critical fixed points in the suitably formulated Wilson–Fisher [Formula: see text]-expansion. I discuss the unified GNY field theory for a set of different symmetry-breaking patterns, with focus on the semimetal-Néel-ordered-Mott insulator quantum phase transition in the half-filled Hubbard model on the honeycomb lattice, for which a comparison between the state-of-the-art [Formula: see text]-expansion, quantum Monte Carlo, large N, and functional renormalization-group calculations can be made.

Quantum field theories of relativistic Luttinger fermions

We propose relativistic Luttinger fermions as a new ingredient for the construction of fundamental quantum field theories. We construct the corresponding Clifford algebra and the spin metric for relativistic invariance of the action using the spin-base invariant formalism. The corresponding minimal spinor has 32 complex components, matching with the degrees of freedom of a standard-model generation including a right-handed neutrino. The resulting fermion fields exhibit a canonical scaling different from Dirac fermions and thus support the construction of novel relativistic and perturbatively renormalizable, interacting quantum field theories. In particular, new asymptotically free self-interacting field theories can be constructed, representing first examples of high-energy complete quantum field theories based on pure matter degrees of freedom. Gauge theories with relativistic Luttinger fermions exhibit a strong paramagnetic dominance, requiring large non-Abelian gauge groups to maintain asymptotic freedom. We comment on the possibility to use Luttinger fermions for particle physics model building and the expected naturalness properties of such models. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Weyl fermions in a (2+1)-dimensional gravitational wave spacetime

In this study, we work on understanding the behavior of relativistic fermions within the framework of a (2+1)-dimensional gravitational wave environment. Our main objective is to uncover an analytical solution for the massless Dirac equation in this particular scenario. Initially, we derive a set of coupled equations that describe the quantum dynamics of the system under consideration. Subsequently, we embark on finding an analytical solution for the resulting wave equation governing Weyl fermions by utilizing the generators associated with the [Formula: see text] algebra. This approach enables us to determine the relativistic frequency modes of the system. We then delve into examining how the parameters of the gravitational wave spacetime influence the real oscillation modes of Weyl fermions. Our findings highlight the sensitivity of Weyl fermions to the specific gravitational wave spacetime background being considered.

Rotational influence on fermions within negative curvature wormholes

In this research, we examine relativistic fermions within the rotating frame of negative curvature wormholes. Initially, as is typical in our context, we introduce the wormholes by embedding a curved surface into a higher-dimensional flat Minkowski spacetime. Subsequently, we derive the spacetime metric that characterizes the rotating frame of these wormholes. We then investigate analytical solutions of the generalized Dirac equation within this framework. Through exploring a second-order non-perturbative wave equation, we seek exact solutions for fermions within the rotating frame of hyperbolic and elliptic wormholes, also known as negative curvature wormholes. Our analysis provides closed-form energy expressions, and we generalize our findings to Weyl fermions. By considering the impact of the rotating frame and curvature radius of wormholes, we discuss how these factors affect the evolution of fermionic fields, offering valuable insights into their behavior.

Scale symmetry breaking and generation of mass at quantum critical points

We study an asymptotically free theory of N relativistic Dirac fermions and a real scalar field coupled by Yukawa and scalar self-interactions in three dimensions using functional renormalisation. In the limit of many fermion flavours, the cubic scalar coupling becomes exactly marginal due to quantum fluctuations, leading to a line of strongly-coupled infrared fixed points. Fermion mass can be generated through a quantum phase transition even if chiral symmetry is absent. The line of fixed points terminates at a critical endpoint due to the loss of vacuum stability. Exactly at the endpoint, scale symmetry is broken spontaneously, leading to the generation of fermion mass. Intriguingly, the absence of chiral symmetry is a prerequisite for the spontaneous generation of fermion mass, and not a consequence thereof. We also highlight close similarities between Gross-Neveu and Gross-Neveu-Yukawa theories at and away from critical points, and establish the large-N equivalence of their functional RG flows and quantum effective actions. Further implications including for conformal field theories are indicated.

Carroll fermions

Using carefully chosen projections, we consider different Carroll limits of relativistic Dirac fermions in any spacetime dimensions. These limits define Carroll fermions of two types: electric and magnetic. The latter type transforms as a reducible but indecomposable representation of the Carroll group. We also build action principles for all Carroll fermions we introduce; in particular, in even dimensions we provide an action principle for a minimal magnetic Carroll fermion, having the same number of components as a Dirac spinor. We then explore the coupling of these fermions to magnetic Carroll gravity in both its first-order and second-order formulations.

Chiral limit and origin of topological flat bands in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers

The observation of zero field fractional quantum Hall analogs in twisted transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) asks for a deeper understanding of what mechanisms lead to topological flat bands in two-dimensional heterostructures, and what makes TMDs an excellent platform for topologically ordered phases, surpassing twisted bilayer graphene. To this aim, we explore the chiral limits of massive Dirac theories applicable to C3-symmetric moiré materials, and show their relevance for both bilayer graphene and TMD homobilayers. In the latter, the Berry curvature of valence bands leads to relativistic corrections of the moiré potential that promote band flattening, and permit a limit with exactly flat bands with nonzero Chern number. The relativistic corrections enter as a layer-orbit coupling, analogous to spin-orbit coupling for relativistic Dirac fermions, which we show is non-negligible on the moiré scale. The Berry curvature of the TMD monolayers therefore plays an essential role in the flattening of moiré Chern bands in these heterostructures.

Tensor renormalization group for fermions.

We review the basic ideas of the tensor renormalization group method and show how they can be applied for lattice field theory models involving relativistic fermions and Grassmann variables in arbitrary dimensions. We discuss recent progress for entanglement filtering, loop optimization, bond-weighting techniques and matrix product decompositions for Grassmann tensor networks. The new methods are tested with two-dimensional Wilson-Majorana fermions and multi-flavor Gross-Neveu models. We show that the methods can also be applied to the fermionic Hubbard model in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions.

Relativistic fermions and vector bosons in magnetized three-dimensional space-time with a cosmological constant

In this manuscript, we study the relativistic dynamics of fermions and vector bosons within a (2+1)-dimensional magnetized space-time. We consider the Bonnor-Melvin magnetic space-time, characterized by a homogeneous magnetic field aligned along the symmetry axis and a non-zero cosmological constant. This space-time background, featuring cylindrical symmetry, retains the invariance of quantum field dynamics under Lorentz boosts along the z-direction. This enables us to explore (2+1)-dimensional realms, where the associated 2+1-dimensional spacetime background is recognized as the Bonnor-Melvin magnetic 2+1+0-brane solution within the framework of gravity coupled with nonlinear electrodynamics. We seek exact solutions for relativistic fermions and vector bosons within this space-time background. We have managed to derive the radial wave equations in both instances, securing precise eigenvalue solutions devoid of any approximations. Our findings extend seamlessly to massless fermions and vector bosons, ensuring generality. Moreover, we observe that the ground state energy of massless vector bosons (photons) within the examined space-time background is unequivocally zero.

Massive Dirac particles based on gapped graphene with Rosen–Morse potential in a uniform magnetic field

Abstract In this paper, we explore the gapped graphene structure in the two-dimensional plane in the presence of the Rosen-Morse potential and the external uniform magnetic field. In order to describe the corresponding structure, we consider the propagation of electrons in graphene as relativistic fermion quasi-particles, and analyze it by the wave functions of two-component spinors with pseudo-spin symmetry using the Dirac equation. Next, to solve and analyze the Dirac equation, we obtain the eigenvalues and eigenvectors using the Legendre differential equation. After that, we obtain the bounded states of energy depending on the coefficients of Rosen-Morse and magnetic potentials in terms of quantum numbers of principal n and spin-orbit k. Then, the values of the energy spectrum for the ground state and the first excited state are calculated, and the wave functions and the corresponding probabilities are plotted in terms of coordinates r. In what follows, we explore the band structure of gapped graphene by the modified dispersion relation and write it in terms of the two-dimensional wave vectors K x and K y . Finally, the energy bands are plotted in terms of the wave vectors K x and K y with and without the magnetic term.

Strain-induced modulation of electronic structure in correlated Dirac semimetal Pv-CaIrO3 epitaxial thin films

Perovskite CaIrO3 is theoretically predicted to be a Dirac node semimetal near the Mott transition, which possesses a considerable interplay between electron correlations and spin–orbit coupling. Electron correlations can significantly tune the behavior of relativistic Dirac fermions. Here, we have grown high-quality perovskite CaIrO3 thin films on different substrates using oxide molecular beam epitaxy to modulate both electron correlations and Dirac electron states. Through in situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we demonstrate a systematic evolution of the bandwidth and effective mass of Jeff=1/2 band in perovskite CaIrO3 induced by strain. The bandwidth of the Jeff=1/2 band undergoes an evident increase under in-plane compressive strain, which could be attributed to the weakening of electron correlations. The compressive strain can potentially shift the position of the Dirac node relative to the Fermi level and play a vital role in the transition from hole-type to electron-type transport characteristics. Our work provides a feasible approach for manipulating the topological Dirac electron states by engineering the strength of electron correlations.

Nonrelativistic Dirac fermions on the torus

Two dimensional conformal field theories have been extensively studied in the past. When considered on the torus, they are strongly constrained by modular invariance. However, introducing relevant deformations or chemical potentials pushes these theories away from criticality, where many of their aspects are still poorly understood. In this note we make a step towards filling this gap, by analyzing the theory of a Dirac fermion on the torus, deformed by a mass term and a chemical potential for the particle number symmetry. The theory breaks conformal and Lorentz invariance, and we study its spectrum and partition function. We also focus on two limits that are interesting on their own right: a massless relativistic fermion with nonzero chemical potential (a simple model for CFTs at finite density), and nonrelativistic Schrodinger fermions (of relevance in condensed matter systems). Taking inspiration from recent developments in massive modular forms, we obtain a representation of the torus free energy based on Fourier-transforming over a twisted boundary condition. This dual representation fullfills many properties analogous to modular invariance in CFTs. In particular, we use this result to derive Cardy-like formulas for the high energy density of states of these theories.

High-pressure induced Weyl semimetal phase in 2D Tellurium

Relativistic Weyl fermion quasiparticles in Weyl semimetal bring the electron’s chirality degree of freedom into the electrical transport and give rise to exotic phenomena. A topological phase transition from a topological trivial phase to a topological non-trivial phase offers a route to control electronic devices through its topological properties. Here, we report the Weyl semimetal phase in hydrothermally grown two-dimensional Tellurium (2D Te) induced by high hydrostatic pressure (up to 2.47 GPa). The unique chiral crystal structure gives rise to chiral fermions with different topological chiral charges ({{C}}=-{{1}},+{{1}},{{and}}-{{2}}). The highly tunable chemical potential in 2D Te provides comprehensive information for understanding the pressure-dependent electron band structure. The pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition, two-carrier transport, and the non-trivial π Berry phase shift in quantum oscillations are observed in the 2D Te Weyl semimetal phase. Our work demonstrates the pressure-induced bandgap closing in the inversion asymmetric narrow bandgap semiconductor 2D Te.

A relativistic discrete spacetime formulation of 3+1 QED

This work provides a relativistic, digital quantum simulation scheme for both 2+1 and 3+1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED), based on a discrete spacetime formulation of theory. It takes the form of a quantum circuit, infinitely repeating across space and time, parametrised by the discretization step Δt=Δx. Strict causality at each step is ensured as circuit wires coincide with the lightlike worldlines of QED; simulation time under decoherence is optimized. The construction replays the logic that leads to the QED Lagrangian. Namely, it starts from the Dirac quantum walk, well-known to converge towards free relativistic fermions. It then extends the quantum walk into a multi-particle sector quantum cellular automata in a way which respects the fermionic anti-commutation relations and the discrete gauge invariance symmetry. Both requirements can only be achieved at cost of introducing the gauge field. Lastly the gauge field is given its own electromagnetic dynamics, which can be formulated as a quantum walk at each plaquette.

On a magnetic Lieb–Thirring-type estimate and the stability of bipolarons in graphene

Two-dimensional Weyl–Dirac relativistic fermions have attracted tremendous interest in condensed matter as they mimic relativistic high-energy physics. This paper concerns two-dimensional Weyl–Dirac operators in the presence of magnetic fields, in addition to a short-range scalar electric potential of the Bessel–Macdonald-type, restricted to its positive spectral subspace. This operator emerges from the action of a pristine graphene-like QED3 model recently proposed by De Lima, Del Cima, and Miranda, “On the electron–polaron–electron–polaron scattering and Landau levels in pristine graphene-like quantum electrodynamics,” Eur. Phys. J. B93, 187 (2020). A magnetic Lieb–Thirring-type inequality à la Shen is derived for the sum of the negative eigenvalues of the magnetic Weyl–Dirac operators restricted to their positive spectral subspace. An application to the stability of bipolarons in graphene in the presence of magnetic fields is given.

Effect of interactions on the topological expression for the chiral separation effect

In the absence of interactions the conductivity of chiral separation effect (CSE) in the system of massless fermions is given by topological expression. Interactions might change the pattern drastically. However, we prove that the CSE conductivity is still given by the topological invariant composed of the Green functions at zero temperature as long as the chiral symmetry is present, and if the renormalized axial current is considered. This allows to predict its appearance with the standard value of conductivity per Dirac fermion $\sigma_{CSE} = \frac{1}{2 \pi^2}$ in quark - gluon matter at $T = 0$ and sufficiently large baryon chemical potential, in the hypothetical phase with restored chiral symmetry and without color superconductivity. This phase may be realized inside the neutron stars. We also argue that the same topological expression for the CSE may be observed in Weyl semimetals, which realize the system of interacting relativistic fermions in solid state systems. In order to estimate the non - perturbative corrections to $\sigma_{CSE}$ within QCD at finite temperatures we apply method of field correlators developed by Yu.A.Simonov. As expected, above the deconfinement crossover the topological expression is approached within the quark - gluon plasma phase, when the quark chemical potential is sufficiently large. However, we observe that this occurs only when quark chemical potential is much larger than the thermal (Debye) mass. This range of parameters appears to be far out of the region accessible at the modern colliders.

Critical fermions with spontaneously broken scale symmetry

We study relativistic fermions in three euclidean dimensions with four- and six-fermion interactions of the Gross-Neveu type. In the limit of many fermion flavors, and besides the isolated free fixed point, the theory displays a line of interacting ultraviolet fixed points. At the endpoint of the critical line, we establish that mass is generated through the spontaneous breaking of quantum scale invariance. Curiously, broken parity symmetry is a prerequisite for the spontaneous generation of mass rather than a consequence thereof. We also calculate critical exponents and find that hyperscaling relations are violated. Further similarities with critical scalar theories, and implications for conformal field theories and higher spin theories are discussed.

Correlation-driven organic 3D topological insulator with relativistic fermions

Exploring new topological phenomena and functionalities induced by strong electron correlation has been a central issue in modern condensed-matter physics. One example is a topological insulator (TI) state and its functionality driven by the Coulomb repulsion rather than a spin-orbit coupling. Here, we report a ‘correlation-driven’ TI state realized in an organic zero-gap system α-(BETS)2I3. The topological surface state and chiral anomaly are observed in temperature and field dependences of resistance, indicating a three-dimensional TI state at low temperatures. Moreover, we observe a topological phase switching between the TI state and non-equilibrium Dirac semimetal state by a dc current, which is a unique functionality of a correlation-driven TI state. Our findings demonstrate that correlation-driven TIs are promising candidates not only for practical electronic devices but also as a field for discovering new topological phenomena and phases.

Observation of Weyl and Dirac fermions at smooth topological Volkov-Pankratov heterojunctions

Weyl and Dirac relativistic fermions are ubiquitous in topological matter. Their relativistic character enables high energy physics phenomena like the chiral anomaly to occur in solid state, which allows to experimentally probe and explore fundamental relativistic theories. Here we show that on smooth interfaces between a trivial and a topological material, massless Weyl and massive Dirac fermions intrinsically coexist. The emergence of the latter, known as Volkov-Pankratov states, is directly revealed by magneto-optical spectroscopy, evidencing that their energy spectrum is perfectly controlled by the smoothness of topological interface. Simultaneously, we reveal the optical absorption of the zero-energy chiral Weyl state, whose wavefunction is drastically transformed when the topological interface is smooth. Artificial engineering of the topology profile thus provides a novel textbook system to explore the rich relativistic energy spectra in condensed matter heterostructures.

Dynamical chiral magnetic current and instability in Weyl semimetals

Weyl semimetals realize massless relativistic fermions with two Weyl nodes separated in energy and momentum space, whose low-energy physics is described by Dirac fermions with an axial gauge constant. Here, we study their electromagnetic linear responses based on the effective field theory and on the chiral kinetic theory. Although the static chiral magnetic effect is canceled by the Chern-Simons current under the Pauli-Villars regularization, a dynamical magnetic field is found capable of driving an electric current along its direction, with the total transported charge being independent of temperature and chemical potential for a uniform field. We also incorporate dissipation in the relaxation-time approximation and study collective excitations coupled with Maxwell electromagnetic fields when Weyl node populations deviate from equilibrium. Their dispersion relations at low frequency and long wavelength are determined only by electric, chiral magnetic, and anomalous Hall conductivities, which predict unstable modes leading to anisotropic generation of electromagnetic waves oriented to the direction of Weyl node separation.