Critical properties of metallic and deconfined quantum critical points in Dirac systems

Abstract

We use large-scale fermion quantum Monte Carlo simulations to study metallic and deconfined quantum phase transitions in a bilayer honeycomb model, focusing on their quantum critical and finite-temperature properties. At weak interaction, a fully symmetric Dirac semimetal state is realized. At intermediate and strong interaction, respectively, two long-range-ordered phases that break different symmetries are stabilized. The ordered phases feature partial and full, respectively, gap openings in the fermion spectrum. We clarify the symmetries of the different zero-temperature phases and the symmetry breaking patterns across the two quantum phase transitions between them. The first transition between the disordered and long-range-ordered semimetallic phases has previously been argued to be described by the $(2+1)$-dimensional Gross-Neveu-SO(3) field theory. By performing simulations with an improved symmetric Trotter decomposition, we further substantiate this claim by computing the critical exponents $1/\nu$, $\eta_\phi$, and $\eta_\psi$, which turn out to be consistent with the field-theoretical expectation within numerical and analytical uncertainties. The second transition between the two long-range-ordered phases has previously been proposed as a possible instance of a metallic deconfined quantum critical point. We further develop this scenario by analyzing the spectral functions in the single-particle, particle-hole, and particle-particle channels. Our results indicate gapless excitations with a unique velocity, supporting the emergence of Lorentz symmetry at criticality. We also determine the finite-temperature phase boundaries above the fully gapped state at large interaction, which smoothly vanish near the putative metallic deconfined quantum critical point, consistent with a continuous or weakly first-order transition.