2020/11/24 by Grigory A. Starkov, K. B. Efetov, Konstantin B. Efetov
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Computer science #Condensed matter physics #Context (archaeology) #Crystal (programming language) #Geology #Geometry #Instanton #Mathematics #Phase (matter) #Phase transition #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Quantum phase transition #Quantum phases #Symmetry (geometry) #Theoretical physics #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.103.075121
published as Phys. Rev. B 103, 075121 (2021)
arxiv created 2020/11/24 · openalex created_date 2020/12/07 · openalex publication_date 2021/02/09 · arxiv updated 2021/02/17 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In the context of condensed matter physics, instantons may be important for the description of quantum tunneling. However, they are typically irrelevant for the description of symmetry-broken states. Here, the authors propose a variant of the spin-fermion model, which exhibits a novel thermodynamically stable phase dubbed the ``Instanton Crystal.'' The intriguing feature of this phase is the configuration of the order parameter consisting precisely of an alternating chain of instantons and anti-instantons. Another interesting feature is a first-order phase transition between the instanton crystal phase and the normal symmetry-broken phase, characterized by a stationary order parameter.