Spin Freezing Transition and Non-Fermi-Liquid Self-Energy in a Three-Orbital Model

Abstract

A single-site dynamical mean-field study of a three band model with the rotationally invariant interactions appropriate to the t_(2g) levels of a transition metal oxide reveals a quantum phase transition between a paramagnetic metallic phase and an incoherent metallic phase with frozen moments. The Mott transitions occurring at electron densities n=2, 3 per site take place inside the frozen moment phase. The critical line separating the two phases is characterized by a self-energy with the frequency dependence Sigma(omega) approximately sqrt[omega] and a broad quantum critical regime. The findings are discussed in the context of the power law observed in the optical conductivity of SrRuO3.