Kondo destruction quantum critical point: fixed point annihilation and thermodynamic stability

Abstract

A wide range of strongly correlated electron systems exhibit strange metallicity, and they are increasingly recognized as in proximity to correlation-driven localization-delocalization transitions. A prototype setting arises in heavy fermion metals, where the proximity to the electron localization is manifested as Kondo destruction. Here we show that the Kondo destruction quantum critical point is linked to the phenomenon of fixed point annihilation. This connection reveals the absence of residual entropy density at the quantum critical point and, thus, its thermodynamic stability. Broader implications of our results are discussed.