Kondo Vortices, Zero Modes, and Magnetic Ordering in a Kondo Lattice Model

Abstract

Motivated by the mysteries of the heavy fermion quantum critical point, we investigate the competition between Kondo screening and magnetic ordering in the honeycomb Kondo lattice at half filling. We examine the destruction of the Kondo phase by proliferating vortex configurations in the Kondo hybridization order parameter. We find that there are zero modes associated with Kondo vortices. Condensing these vortices can lead to the antiferromagnetic phase.