Session U12: Strongly Correlated Electron Systems: Quantum Phase Transitions
8:00 AM–11:00 AM, Thursday, March 13, 2008
Morial Convention Center Room: 203
Sponsoring Unit:
DCMP
Chair: Andrew Millis, Columbia University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2008.MAR.U12.13
Abstract: U12.00013 : Rounding of a first order quantum phase transition to a quantum critical point
10:24 AM–10:36 AM
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Abstract 
Authors:
Pallab Goswami
(University of California, Los Angeles)
David Schwab
(University of California, Los Angeles)
Sudip Chakravarty
(University of California, Los Angeles)
We give a heuristic argument for disorder rounding of a first order quantum phase transition into a continuous phase transition. From both weak and strong disorder analysis of the the $N$-color quantum Ashkin-Teller model in one spatial dimension, we find that for $N \geq 3$, the first order transition is rounded to a continuous transition and the physical picture is the same as the random transverse field Ising model for a limited parameter regime. The results are strikingly different from the corresponding classical problem in two dimensions where the fate of the renormalization group flows is a fixed point corresponding to $N$-decoupled pure Ising models.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2008.MAR.U12.13