Quantum superconducting criticality in graphene and topological insulators

TL;DR

This paper develops a field theory describing quantum phase transitions in graphene and topological insulators, analyzing critical behavior and universal quantities near the transition points.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive field-theoretic model for semimetal-superconductor and related transitions, including gauge field effects and universal critical parameters.

Findings

Transitions are always continuous due to Yukawa coupling.

Universal critical exponents are calculated near four dimensions.

The theory applies to both superconducting and bond-density-wave transitions.

Abstract

The field theory of the semimetal-superconductor quantum phase transition for graphene and surface states of topological insulators is presented. The Lagrangian possesses the global U(1) symmetry, with the self-interacting complex bosonic order-parameter and the massless Dirac fermions coupled through a Yukawa term. The same theory also governs the quantum critical behavior of graphene near the transition towards the bond-density-wave (Kekule) insulator. The local U(1) gauged version of the theory which describes the quantum semimetal-superconductor transition in the ultimate critical regime is also considered. Due to the Yukawa coupling the transitions are found to be always continuous, both with and without the fluctuating gauge field. The critical behavior is addressed within the dimensional regularization near four space-time dimensions, and the calculation of various universal quantities, including critical exponents and the universal mass-ratio, is reported.