Abstract

We study fixed points of the easy-plane CPN−1 field theory by combining quantum Monte Carlo simulations of lattice models of easy-plane SU(N) superfluids with field theoretic renormalization group calculations, by using ideas of deconfined criticality. From our simulations, we present evidence that at small N our lattice model has a first-order phase transition which progressively weakens as N increases, eventually becoming continuous for large values of N. Renormalization group calculations in 4−ε dimensions provide an explanation of these results as arising due to the existence of an Nep that separates the fate of the flows with easy-plane anisotropy. When N < Nep, the renormalization group flows to a discontinuity fixed point, and hence a first-order transition arises. On the other hand, for N > Nep, the flows are to a new easy-plane CPN−1 fixed point that describes the quantum criticality in the lattice model at large N. Our lattice model at its critical point, thus, gives efficient numerical access to a new strongly coupled gauge-matter field theory.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-3-2017

Notes/Citation Information

Published in Physical Review Letters, v. 118, issue 18, 187202, p. 1-5.

© 2017 American Physical Society

The copyright holder has granted permission for posting the article here.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.187202

Funding Information

Partial financial support was received through National Science Foundation DMR-1611161 and the Keith B. MacAdam fellowship at the University of Kentucky.

Related Content

See Supplemental Material at, http://link.aps.org/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.187202 for further details of the numerical simulations, which includes Refs. [17–20].

PhysRevLett.118.187202_supp.pdf (1047 kB)
Supplemental Material

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