Scattering rate, transport and specific heat in a metal close to a quantum critical point : emergence of a robust Fermi liquid picture ?

Abstract

We calculate the low temperature one-particle scattering rate and the specific heat in a weakly disordered metal close to a quantum critical point. To lowest order in the fluctuation potential, we obtain typical Fermi-liquid results proportional to T^2 and T respectively, with prefactors which diverge as a power law of the control parameter upon approaching the critical point. The Kadowaki-Woods ratio is shown to be independent of the control parameter only for the case of 3-D FM fluctuations. Our work is relevant for experiments on CeCoIn$_5$ and Sr_3Ru_2O_7.