Microscopic Mechanism of Pair-, Charge- and Spin-Density-Wave Instabilities in Interacting D-Dimensional Fermi Liquids

Abstract

We present an analytic theory unraveling the microscopic mechanism of instabilities within interacting $D$-dimensional Fermi liquid. Our model consists of a $D$-dimensional electron gas subject to an instantaneous electron-electron interaction of a finite range exceeding the average inter-particle distance. Pair, charge and spin susceptibilities are evaluated via the one-loop renormalization group theory and via the bosonization approach, giving identical results. In case of a repulsive interaction, we identify an intrinsic Fermi liquid instability towards insulating spin/charge density wave order when the interaction coupling strength reaches a universal critical value. If both electron and hole pockets of the same size are present, the ground state is an excitonic insulator at arbitrarily small repulsive interaction. If the interaction is attractive, the ground state is a singlet non-BCS superconductor with a uniform condensate. In case if both electron and hole Fermi surfaces are present, we predict an instability towards the inter-pocket pair-density-wave ordering at the critical coupling. This prediction lends strong theoretical support to the pair-density-wave scenario of superconductivity in cuprate materials. Due to its simple and universal nature, presented microscopic mechanism of intrinsic instabilities of interacting $D$-dimensional Fermi liquids constitutes a solid theoretical ground for understanding quantum phase transitions in a variety of quantum materials, from ultraclean semiconductor quantum wells to high-temperature superconductors.