Stabilization of local moments in gapless Fermi systems

Nonequilibrium Kondo effect in a graphene-coupled quantum dot in the presence of a magnetic field

Background: Quantum dots connected to larger systems containing a continuum of states like charge reservoirs allow the theoretical study of many-body effects such as the Coulomb blockade and the Kondo effect. Results: Here, we analyze the nonequilibrium Kondo effect and transport phenomena in a quantum dot coupled to pure monolayer graphene electrodes under external magnetic fields for finite on-site Coulomb interaction. The system is described by the pseudogap Anderson Hamiltonian. We use the equation of motion technique to determine the retarded Green's function of the quantum dot. An analytical formula for the Kondo temperature is derived for electron and hole doping of the graphene leads. The Kondo temperature vanishes in the vicinity of the particle-hole symmetry point and at the Dirac point. In the case of particle-hole asymmetry, the Kondo temperature has a finite value even at the Dirac point. The influence of the on-site Coulomb interaction and the magnetic field on the transport properties of the system shows a tendency similar to the previous results obtained for quantum dots connected to metallic electrodes. Most remarkably, we find that the Kondo resonance does not show up in the density of states and in the differential conductance for zero chemical potential due to the linear energy dispersion of graphene. An analytical method to calculate self-energies is also developed which can be useful in the study of graphene-based systems. Conclusion: Our graphene-based quantum dot system provides a platform for potential applications of nanoelectronics. Furthermore, we also propose an experimental setup for performing measurements in order to verify our model.

Kondo resonance from p-wave hybridization in graphene

The p-wave hybridization in graphene present a distinct class of Kondo problem in pseudogap Fermi systems with bath density of states (DOS) ρ₀(ε) ∝ |ε|. The peculiar geometry of substitutional and hollow-site ad-atoms, and effectively the vacancies allow for a p-wave form of momentum dependence in the hybridization of the associated local orbital with the Dirac fermions of the graphene host which results in a different picture than the s-wave momentum independent hybridization. For the p-wave hybridization function, away from the Dirac point we find closed-form formulae for the Kondo temperature TK which in contrast to the s-wave case is non-zero for any value of hybridization strength V of the single impurity Anderson model (SIAM). At the Dirac point where the DOS vanishes, we find a conceivably small value of Vmin above which the Kondo screening takes place even in the presence of particle-hole symmetry. We also show that the non-Lorentzian line shape of the local spectrum arising from anomalous hybridization function leads to much larger TK in vacant graphene compared to a metallic host with similar bandwidth and SIAM parameters.

Local Quantum Critical Point in the Pseudogap Anderson Model: Finite-T Dynamics and ω/T Scaling

The pseudogap Anderson impurity model is a paradigm for locally critical quantum phase transitions. Within the framework of the local moment approach we study its finite-T dynamics, as embodied in the single-particle spectrum, in the vicinity of the symmetric quantum critical point (QCP) separating generalized Fermi liquid (Kondo screened) and local moment phases. The scaling spectra in both phases, and at the QCP itself, are obtained analytically. A key result is that pure omega/T scaling obtains at the QCP, where the Kondo resonance has just collapsed. The connection between the scaling spectra in either phase and that at the QCP is explored in detail.