Low temperature $T$-linear resistivity due to umklapp scattering from a critical mode

TL;DR

This paper investigates how umklapp scattering from a critical mode causes a linear temperature dependence of resistivity in fermionic systems near quantum criticality, relevant for high-temperature superconductors.

Contribution

It demonstrates that umklapp scattering leads to T-linear resistivity with disorder-independent coefficient, and compares relaxation time approximation with exact solutions.

Findings

Resistivity is linear in temperature above a low scale set by umklapp vector.

Resistivity coefficient is independent of disorder.

Hall coefficient deviates from relaxation time approximation and decreases with temperature.

Abstract

We consider the transport properties of a model of fermions scattered by a critical bosonic mode. The mode is overdamped and scattering is mainly in the forward direction. Such a mode appears at the quantum critical point for a electronic nematic phase transition, and in gauge theories for a U(1) spin liquid. It leads to a short fermion life-time, violating Landau's criterion for a Fermi liquid. In spite of this, transport can be described by a Boltzmann equation. We include momentum relaxation by umklapp scattering, supplemented by weak impurity scattering. We find that above a very low temperature which scales with $\Delta_q^3$, where $\Delta_q$ is the minimum umklapp scattering vector, the resistivity is linear in $T$ with a coefficient which is independent of the amount of disorder. We compare the relaxation time approximation with an exact numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation. Surprisingly we find that unlike the resistivity, the Hall Coefficient strongly deviates from the relaxation time approximation and shows a strong reduction with increasing temperature. We comment on possible comparisons with experiments on high $T_c$ Cuprates.