Non-existence of strong coupling two-channel Kondo fixed point for microscopic models of tunneling centers

Abstract

We consider the problem of an heavy particle in a double well potential (DWP) interacting with an electron bath. Under general assumptions, we map the problem to a three-color logarithmic gas model, where the size of the core of the charged particles is proportional to the tunneling time, $\tau_{tun}$, of the heavy particle between the two wells. For times larger then $\tau_{tun}$ this model is equivalent to the anisotropic two-channel Kondo (2CK) model in a transverse field. This allows us to establish a relationship between the microscopic parameters of DWP and the 2CK problem. We show that the strong coupling fixed point of the 2CK model can never be reached for the DWP problem, in agreement with the results of Kagan and Prokof'ev, [Sov.Phys. JEPT, 69, 836 (1989)] and Aleiner et al., [Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 2629 (2001)].