Lattice Effects on Nematic Quantum Criticality in Metals

Theoretically, it is commonly held that in metals near a nematic quantum critical point the electronic excitations become incoherent on the entire ``hot'' Fermi surface, triggering non-Fermi-liquid behavior. However, such conclusions are based on electron-only theories, ignoring a symmetry-allowed coupling between the electronic nematic variable and a suitable crystalline lattice strain. Here, we show that including this coupling leads to...