Kondo Effect of a Jahn-Teller Ion Vibrating in a Cubic Anharmonic Potential

Abstract: We discuss the Kondo effect in a spinless two-orbital conduction electron system coupled with anharmonic Jahn-Teller vibration by employing a numerical renormalization group technique. When a temperature $T$ is decreased, we encounter a plateau of $\log 3$ entropy due to quasi-triple degeneracy of local low-energy states, composed of vibronic ground states and the first excited state with an excitation energy of $\Delta E$. Around at $T$$\approx$$\Delta E$, we observe an entropy change from $\log 3$ to $\log 2$. This $\log 2$ entropy originates from the rotational degree of freedom of the vibronic state and it is eventually released due to the screening by orbital moments of conduction electrons, leading to the Kondo effect of a Jahn-Teller ion. The Kondo temperature is explained by the effective $s$-$d$ model with anisotropic exchange interactions.