How do fluctuations stabilize order in a "strange" metal?

Speaker:   Zach Porter, UCSB

Program Description:
Near a quantum critical point, quantum mechanical fluctuations dominate, and the conventional Fermi liquid theory of electrons breaks down in fascinating ways. Understanding how fluctuations influence “strange metal” phases is relevant to important materials like the high-temperature superconductors. In my talk, I present the antiferromagnetism in Sr3Ir2O7 that unexpectedly persists even when 70% of the Ir sites are substituted for Ru. I discuss resonant x-ray scattering measurements that provide clues for how fluctuations might play a role in stabilizing this unusual itinerant magnetism.