Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1403.7376 · Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Field-induced polaron formation in the Holstein-Hubbard model

Philipp Werner, Martin Eckstein

Published Feb 1, 2015• 59 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the effect of strong DC and pulsed electric fields on a Mott insulating system with coupling to optical phonons. A DC field of the order of the gap induces a metallic state characterized by polaronic features in the gap region and a partially inverted population. In this quasi-steady state, the field-induced doublon-hole production is balanced by a phonon-enhanced doublon-hole recombination. The photo-excitation of carriers by a pulsed field leads to similar modifications of the electronic structure in the gap region, and an associated reduction of the doublon life-time. We demonstrate that the field-induced localization of electrons effectively enhances the phonon coupling, an effect which should be measureable with time-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy.

DOI
10.1209/0295-5075/109/37002

Related papers

Dielectric breakdown of Mott insulators – doublon production and doublon heating

Martin Eckstein, Philipp Werner

Using dynamical mean-field theory and the non-crossing approximation as impurity solver, we study the response of a Mott insulator to strong dc electric fields. The breakdown of the Mott insulating state is triggered by field-induced creation of doublon-hole pairs. In a previous investigation, Ref. [1], it was found that the system approaches a long-lived quasi-steady state in which the current is time-independent although the number of carriers constantly increases. Here we investigate and clarify the nature of this state, which exists only because thermalization is slow in the Hubbard model at strong coupling. The current is time-independent because doublons and holes have an infinite temperature distribution. Evidence for this fact is obtained from spectral functions and by comparing the electric current with the field-induced doublon-hole creation rate. Implications to real experiments, in systems with energy dissipation, are discussed.

arXiv:1211.2698•Journal of Physics Conference Series•Mar 27, 2013•28 citations

Hole-polaron formation in the two-dimensional Holsteint-Jmodel: A variational Lanczos study

Holger Fehske, Heinrich Röder, Gerhard Wellein +1 more

Polaronic features of dopant-induced charge carriers are manifest in recent experiments on ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathit{y}}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathit{y}}$. To study the formation of hole (bi)polarons in such systems exhibiting strong Coulomb interactions, the Holstein t-J model is examined by means of a variational diagonalization technqiue for a wide range of phonon frequencies and electron-phonon (EP) couplings on finite square lattices, up to 18 effective sites in size. Including static displacement field, polaron, and squeezing effects, our approach allows for the description of nearly free polarons in the weak-coupling limit as well as for adiabatic Holstein polarons and nonadiabatic Lang-Firsov polarons in the case of strong EP interactions. At low doping levels and low phonon frequencies we demonstrate that antiferromagnetic spin correlations and EP interactions reinforce each other to the effect of lowering the threshold for polaronic self-localization in a strongly distorted lattice. This is contrasted with the nonadiabatic regime, where we observe the formation of Lang-Firsov polarons with moderate polaronic mass enhancement in a nearly undistorted lattice. In the case of two doped holes, the hole binding energy is analyzed in detail and we find that hole binding is enhanced as a dynamical (static) effect of a rather weak (extremely strong) EP interaction for delocalized (self-trapped) polarons. At quarter-filling we notice, in the adiabatic regime, a sequence of transitions as the EP coupling increases from nearly free mobile polarons to a polaronic superlattice and finally to a charge-separated state. The ordering of polarons disappears at higher phonon frequencies.

Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Jun 15, 1995•94 citations

Effective doublon and hole temperatures in the photo-doped dynamic Hubbard model

Philipp Werner, Martin Eckstein

Hirsch's dynamic Hubbard model describes the effect of orbital expansion with occupancy by coupling the doublon operator to an auxiliary boson. In the Mott insulating phase, empty sites (holes) and doubly occupied orbitals (doublons) become charge carriers on top of the half-filled background. We use the nonequilibrium dynamical mean field method to study the properties of photo-doped doublons and holes in this model in the strongly correlated regime. In particular, we discuss how photodoping leads to doublon and hole populations with different effective temperatures, and we analyze the relaxation behavior as a function of the boson coupling and boson energy. In the polaronic regime, the nontrivial energy exchange between doublons, holes, and bosons can result in a negative temperature distribution for the holes.

arXiv:1508.07117•Structural Dynamics•Nov 9, 2015•19 citations

Effective doublon and hole temperatures in the photo-doped dynamic Hubbard model

Philipp Werner, Martin Eckstein

Hirsch's dynamic Hubbard model describes the effect of orbital expansion with occupancy by coupling the doublon operator to an auxiliary boson. In the Mott insulating phase, empty sites (holes) and doubly occupied orbitals (doublons) become charge carriers on top of the half-filled background. We use the nonequilibrium dynamical mean field method to study the properties of photo-doped doublons and holes in this model in the strongly correlated regime. In particular, we discuss how photodoping leads to doublon and hole populations with different effective temperatures, and we analyze the relaxation behavior as a function of the boson coupling and boson energy. In the polaronic regime, the nontrivial energy exchange between doublons, holes, and bosons can result in a negative temperature distribution for the holes.

•Jan 1, 2016•13 citations

Impact of disorder and phonons on the Hubbard bands of Mott insulators in strong electric fields

Tommaso Maria Mazzocchi, Daniel Werner, Enrico Arrigoni

We characterize the current-carrying nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) in a single-band Hubbard model confronted with a static electric field in the presence of quenched disorder. Beyond the linear response regime, the electric field amplitude must compensate for at least half of the band gap to have a non-negligible stationary current. As the disorder is not expected to dissipate the extra energy injected by the field, optical phonons assisted by a fermionic heat bath serve as dissipation channels for the current-induced Joule heat generated by the accelerated electrons. The NESS of the system is addressed employing the dynamical mean-field theory using the so-called auxiliary master equation approach as impurity solver. Disorder effects are treated locally via the coherent potential approximation (CPA) and the self-consistent Born (SCB) approach. In the regime in which the two schemes yield similar results, we employ the SCB as it is computationally cheaper than the CPA. We show that, in a purely electronic setup, the disorder-induced dephasing cannot contribute states within the gap but only smear out the edges of the Hubbard bands. When phonons are taken into account, the different nature of disorder-induced dephasing and phonon-related dissipation becomes clear. We show that although both disorder and electron-phonon interaction enhance the current at off-resonant fields, disorder effects play a marginal role since they cannot provide in-gap states which are instead brought about by phonons and represent the privileged relaxation pathway for excited electrons.

arXiv:2310.11833•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•Jan 10, 2024•3 citations

Surface polaron formation in the Holstein model

Reza Nourafkan, Massimo Capone, N. Nafari

The effect of a solid-vacuum interface on the properties of a strongly coupled electron-phonon system is analyzed using dynamical mean-field theory to solve the Holstein model in a semi-infinite cubic lattice. Polaron formation is found to occur more easily, i.e., for a weaker electron-phonon coupling, on the surface than in the bulk. On the other hand, the metal-insulator transition associated with the binding of polarons takes place at a unique critical strength in the bulk and at the surface.

arXiv:0905.1379•Physical Review B•Oct 23, 2009•11 citations
We study the effect of strong DC and pulsed electric fields on a Mott insulating system with coupling to optical phonons. A DC field of the order of the gap induces a metallic state characterized by polaronic features in the gap region and a partially inverted population. In this quasi-steady state, the field-induced doublon-hole production is balanced by a phonon-enhanced doublon-hole recombination. The photo-excitation of carriers by a pulsed field leads to similar modifications of the electronic structure in the gap region, and an associated reduction of the doublon life-time. We demonstrate that the field-induced localization of electrons effectively enhances the phonon coupling, an effect which should be measureable with time-resolved photo-emission spectroscopy.
Using dynamical mean-field theory and the non-crossing approximation as impurity solver, we study the response of a Mott insulator to strong dc electric fields. The breakdown of the Mott insulating state is triggered by field-induced creation of doublon-hole pairs. In a previous investigation, Ref. [1], it was found that the system approaches a long-lived quasi-steady state in which the current is time-independent although the number of carriers constantly increases. Here we investigate and clarify the nature of this state, which exists only because thermalization is slow in the Hubbard model at strong coupling. The current is time-independent because doublons and holes have an infinite temperature distribution. Evidence for this fact is obtained from spectral functions and by comparing the electric current with the field-induced doublon-hole creation rate. Implications to real experiments, in systems with energy dissipation, are discussed.
Polaronic features of dopant-induced charge carriers are manifest in recent experiments on ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$Srx{\mathrm{Sr}}_{\mathit{x}}Srx​CuO4+y{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathit{y}}CuO4+y​ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$Nix{\mathrm{Ni}}_{\mathit{x}}Nix​CuO4+y{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4+\mathit{y}}CuO4+y​. To study the formation of hole (bi)polarons in such systems exhibiting strong Coulomb interactions, the Holstein t-J model is examined by means of a variational diagonalization technqiue for a wide range of phonon frequencies and electron-phonon (EP) couplings on finite square lattices, up to 18 effective sites in size. Including static displacement field, polaron, and squeezing effects, our approach allows for the description of nearly free polarons in the weak-coupling limit as well as for adiabatic Holstein polarons and nonadiabatic Lang-Firsov polarons in the case of strong EP interactions. At low doping levels and low phonon frequencies we demonstrate that antiferromagnetic spin correlations and EP interactions reinforce each other to the effect of lowering the threshold for polaronic self-localization in a strongly distorted lattice. This is contrasted with the nonadiabatic regime, where we observe the formation of Lang-Firsov polarons with moderate polaronic mass enhancement in a nearly undistorted lattice. In the case of two doped holes, the hole binding energy is analyzed in detail and we find that hole binding is enhanced as a dynamical (static) effect of a rather weak (extremely strong) EP interaction for delocalized (self-trapped) polarons. At quarter-filling we notice, in the adiabatic regime, a sequence of transitions as the EP coupling increases from nearly free mobile polarons to a polaronic superlattice and finally to a charge-separated state. The ordering of polarons disappears at higher phonon frequencies.
Hirsch's dynamic Hubbard model describes the effect of orbital expansion with occupancy by coupling the doublon operator to an auxiliary boson. In the Mott insulating phase, empty sites (holes) and doubly occupied orbitals (doublons) become charge carriers on top of the half-filled background. We use the nonequilibrium dynamical mean field method to study the properties of photo-doped doublons and holes in this model in the strongly correlated regime. In particular, we discuss how photodoping leads to doublon and hole populations with different effective temperatures, and we analyze the relaxation behavior as a function of the boson coupling and boson energy. In the polaronic regime, the nontrivial energy exchange between doublons, holes, and bosons can result in a negative temperature distribution for the holes.
Hirsch's dynamic Hubbard model describes the effect of orbital expansion with occupancy by coupling the doublon operator to an auxiliary boson. In the Mott insulating phase, empty sites (holes) and doubly occupied orbitals (doublons) become charge carriers on top of the half-filled background. We use the nonequilibrium dynamical mean field method to study the properties of photo-doped doublons and holes in this model in the strongly correlated regime. In particular, we discuss how photodoping leads to doublon and hole populations with different effective temperatures, and we analyze the relaxation behavior as a function of the boson coupling and boson energy. In the polaronic regime, the nontrivial energy exchange between doublons, holes, and bosons can result in a negative temperature distribution for the holes.
We characterize the current-carrying nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) in a single-band Hubbard model confronted with a static electric field in the presence of quenched disorder. Beyond the linear response regime, the electric field amplitude must compensate for at least half of the band gap to have a non-negligible stationary current. As the disorder is not expected to dissipate the extra energy injected by the field, optical phonons assisted by a fermionic heat bath serve as dissipation channels for the current-induced Joule heat generated by the accelerated electrons. The NESS of the system is addressed employing the dynamical mean-field theory using the so-called auxiliary master equation approach as impurity solver. Disorder effects are treated locally via the coherent potential approximation (CPA) and the self-consistent Born (SCB) approach. In the regime in which the two schemes yield similar results, we employ the SCB as it is computationally cheaper than the CPA. We show that, in a purely electronic setup, the disorder-induced dephasing cannot contribute states within the gap but only smear out the edges of the Hubbard bands. When phonons are taken into account, the different nature of disorder-induced dephasing and phonon-related dissipation becomes clear. We show that although both disorder and electron-phonon interaction enhance the current at off-resonant fields, disorder effects play a marginal role since they cannot provide in-gap states which are instead brought about by phonons and represent the privileged relaxation pathway for excited electrons.