Transport properties in non-Fermi liquid phases of nodal-point semimetals

Abstract

Abstract In this review, we survey the current progress in computing transport properties in semimetals which harbour non-Fermi liquid (NFL) phases. We first discuss the widely-used Kubo formalism, which can be applied to the effective theory describing the stable NFL phase obtained via a renormalization group procedure and, hence, is applicable for temperatures close to zero (e.g. optical conductivity). For finite-temperature regimes, which apply to the computations of the generalized DC conductivity tensors, we elucidate the memory matrix approach. This approach is based on an effective hydrodynamic description of the system, and is especially suited for tackling transport calculations in strongly-interacting quantum field theories, because it does not rely on the existence of long-lived quasiparticles. As a concrete example, we apply these two approaches to find the response of the so-called Luttinger-Abrikosov-Benelavskii phase of isotropic three-dimensional Luttinger semimetals, which arises under the effects of long-ranged (unscreened) Coulomb interactions, with the chemical potential fine-tuned to cut exactly the nodal point. In particular, we focus on the electric conductivity tensors, thermal and thermoelectric response, Raman response, free energy, entropy density, and shear viscosity.