The quantum ferromagnetic transition in a clean Kondo lattice is discontinuous

Abstract

The Kondo-lattice model, which couples a lattice of localized magnetic moments to conduction electrons, is often used to describe heavy-fermion systems. Because of the interplay between Kondo physics and magnetic order it displays very complex behavior and is notoriously hard to solve. The ferromagnetic Kondo-lattice model, with a ferromagnetic coupling between the local moments, describes a phase transition from a paramagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic one as a function of either temperature or the ferromagnetic local-moment coupling. At zero temperature, this is a quantum phase transition that has received considerable attention. It has been theoretically described to be continuous, or second order. Here we show that this belief is mistaken; in the absence of quenched disorder the quantum phase transition is first order, in agreement with experiments, as is the corresponding transition in other metallic ferromagnets.