Heavy-quark spin polarization induced by the Kondo effect in a magnetic field

TL;DR

This paper introduces a mechanism where the Kondo effect in quark matter, under a magnetic field, induces heavy-quark spin polarization through the formation of a Kondo condensate, with potential for experimental verification.

Contribution

It proposes a novel spin polarization mechanism driven by the Kondo effect in quark matter, analyzed using a NJL model and linear response theory, emphasizing gauge invariance.

Findings

Heavy-quark spin polarization is significantly induced by the Kondo effect.

The Kondo condensate causes mixing of heavy and light quark spins.

Results are testable via future lattice simulations.

Abstract

We propose a new mechanism of the heavy-quark spin polarization (HQSP) in quark matter induced by the Kondo effect under external magnetic field. The Kondo effect is caused by a condensate between a heavy and a light quark called the Kondo condensate leading to a mixing of the heavy and light quark spins. Thus the HQSP is driven through the Kondo effect from light quarks coupling with the magnetic field in quark matter. For demonstration, we employ the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio type model under a magnetic field, and investigate the HQSP within the linear response theory with vertex corrections required by the $U(1)_{\rm EM}$ electromagnetic gauge invariance. As a result, we find that the HQSP arises significantly with the appearance of the Kondo effect. Our findings are testable in future sign-problem-free lattice simulations.