ABSTRACT
Qimiao Si Department of Physics & Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, U.S.A.
Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) arise as a result of competing interactions in a quantum many-body system. Kondo lattice models, containing a lattice of localized magnetic moments and a band of conduction electrons, naturally feature such competing interactions. A Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) exchange interaction among the local moments promotes magnetic ordering. 1 However, a Kondo exchange interaction between the local moments and conduction electrons favors the Kondo-screened singlet ground state.
