Percolation theory and quantum critical systems: A new description of the critical behavior in Ce(Ru_0.24Fe_0.76)₂Ge₂ Available to Purchase

The onset of ordering in quantum critical systems is characterized by a competition between the Kondo shielding of magnetic moments and the ordering of these moments. We show how a distribution of Kondo shielding temperatures—resulting from chemical doping—leads to critical behavior whose main characteristics are given by percolation physics. With the aid of Monte Carlo computer simulations, we are able to infer the low temperature part of the distribution of shielding temperatures in heavily doped quantum critical Ce(Ru_0.24Fe_0.76)₂Ge₂. Based on this distribution, we show that the ordering dynamics—such as the growth of the correlation length upon cooling—can be understood by the spawning of magnetic clusters. Our findings explain why the search for universal exponents in quantum critical systems has been unsuccessful: the underlying percolation network associated with the chemical doping of quantum critical systems has to be incorporated in the modeling of these quantum critical systems.