Abstract
The magnetic-field-tuned quantum superconductor-insulator transitions of disordered amorphous indium oxide films are a paradigm in the study of quantum phase transitions and exhibit power-law scaling behavior. For superconducting indium oxide films with low disorder, such as the ones reported on here, the high-field state appears to be a quantum-corrected metal. Resistance data across the superconductor-metal transition in these films are shown here to obey an activated scaling form appropriate to a quantum phase transition controlled by an infinite-randomness fixed point in the universality class of the random transverse-field Ising model. Collapse of the field-dependent resistance vs temperature data is obtained using an activated scaling form appropriate to this universality class, using values determined through a modified form of power-law scaling analysis. This exotic behavior of films exhibiting a superconductor-metal transition is caused by the dissipative dynamics of superconducting rare regions immersed in a metallic matrix, as predicted by a recent renormalization group theory. The smeared crossing points of isotherms observed are due to corrections to scaling which are expected near an infinite-randomness critical point, where the inverse disorder strength acts as an irrelevant scaling variable.
Recommended Citation
N. A. Lewellyn et al., "Infinite-Randomness Fixed Point of the Quantum Superconductor-Metal Transitions in Amorphous Thin Films," Physical Review B, vol. 99, no. 5, American Physical Society (APS), Feb 2019.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.054515
Department(s)
Physics
Research Center/Lab(s)
Center for High Performance Computing Research
Keywords and Phrases
Amorphous films; Group theory; Indium compounds; Ising model; Lattice vibrations; Metals; Phase transitions; Quantum theory; Random processes; Statistical mechanics; Superconducting films; Thin films, Amorphous indium-oxide; Amorphous thin films; Dissipative dynamics; Power-law scaling behaviors; Quantum phase transitions; Renormalization group theory; Superconductor insulator transitions; Transverse-field Ising model, Oxide films
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
2469-9950; 2469-9969
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2019 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Feb 2019
