Common quantum phase transition in quasicrystals and heavy-fermion metals

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that certain quasicrystals naturally reside at a fermion condensation quantum critical point, exhibiting non-Fermi liquid behavior and scaling properties similar to heavy-fermion metals, without the need for tuning parameters.

Contribution

It reveals that quasicrystals inherently exhibit quantum criticality and non-Fermi liquid behavior, linking their properties to heavy-fermion metals and providing a theoretical explanation consistent with experiments.

Findings

Quasicrystals are at a fermion condensation quantum phase transition without tuning.

They exhibit non-Fermi liquid behavior that transitions to Fermi-liquid in magnetic fields.

Thermodynamic properties of quasicrystals match experimental observations.

Abstract

Extraordinary new materials named quasicrystals and characterized by noncrystallographic rotational symmetry and quasiperiodic translational properties have attracted scrutiny. Study of quasicrystals may shed light on the most basic notions related to the quantum critical state observed in heavy-fermion metals. We show that the electronic system of some quasicrystals is located at the fermion condensation quantum phase transition without tuning. In that case the quasicrystals possess the quantum critical state with the non-Fermi liquid behavior which in magnetic fields transforms into the Landau Fermi-liquid one. Remarkably, the quantum critical state is robust despite the strong disorder experienced by the electrons. We also demonstrate for the first time that quasicrystals exhibit the typical scaling behavior of their thermodynamic properties such as the magnetic susceptibility, and belong to the famous family of heavy-fermion metals. Our calculated thermodynamic properties are in good agreement with recent experimental observations.