arXiv:1310.2821 · Physical Review B
Competition between band and Mott insulators in the bilayer Hubbard model: A dynamical cluster approximation study
Hunpyo Lee, Yu‐Zhong Zhang, Harald O. Jeschke, Roser Valentí
Abstract
We investigate the nature of the insulating phases in a bilayer Hubbard model with intralayer coupling $t$ and interlayer coupling ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ at large interaction strength $U/t$ and half-filling. We consider a dynamical cluster approximation with a cluster size of ${N}_{c}=2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4$, where short-range spatial fluctuations as well as on-site dynamical fluctuations are emphasized. By varying the band splitting (${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}/t$), we find that at ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}/t\ensuremath{\simeq}1.5$ the Mott behavior is rapidly suppressed in the momentum sectors ($\ensuremath{\pi},0$) and ($0,\ensuremath{\pi}$). At ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}/t\ensuremath{\simeq}2.5$, Mott features dominate in the momentum sectors ($\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi}$) of the bonding band and ($0,0$) of the antibonding band, and at ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}/t\ensuremath{\simeq}3.0$, a tiny scattering rate is observed in all momentum sectors at the Fermi level, indicating a transition from a Mott to a band insulator. We attribute such a momentum-dependent evolution of the insulating behavior to the competition and cooperation between short-range spatial fluctuations and interlayer coupling ${t}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}$ with the help of the Coulomb interaction $U$. Finally, we also discuss the possible appearance of non-Fermi liquid behavior away from half-filling.