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arXiv:1409.7995 · Physical Review B

Block Lanczos density-matrix renormalization group method for general Anderson impurity models: Application to magnetic impurity problems in graphene

Tomonori Shirakawa, Seiji Yunoki

Published Nov 5, 2014• 33 citations
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Abstract

We introduce a block Lanczos (BL) recursive technique to construct quasi-one-dimensional models, suitable for density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations, from single- as well as multiple-impurity Anderson models in any spatial dimensions. This new scheme, named BL-DMRG method, allows us to calculate not only local but also spatially dependent static and dynamical quantities of the ground state for general Anderson impurity models without losing elaborate geometrical information of the lattice. We show that the BL-DMRG method can be easily extended to treat a multiorbital Anderson impurity model where not only inter- and intraorbital Coulomb interactions but also Hund's coupling and pair hopping interactions are included. We also show that the symmetry adapted BL bases can be utilized, when it is appropriate, to reduce the computational cost. As a demonstration, we apply the BL-DMRG method to three different models for graphene with a structural defect and with a single hydrogen or fluorine absorbed, where a single Anderson impurity is coupled to conduction electrons in the honeycomb lattice. These models include (i) a single adatom on the honeycomb lattice, (ii) a substitutional impurity in the honeycomb lattice, and (iii) an effective model for a single carbon vacancy in graphene. Our analysis of the local dynamical magnetic susceptibility and the local density of states at the impurity site reveals that, for the particle-hole symmetric case at half-filling of electron density, the ground state of model (i) behaves as an isolated magnetic impurity with no Kondo screening, while the ground state of the other two models forms a spin-singlet state where the impurity moment is screened by the conduction electrons. We also calculate the real-space dependence of the spin-spin correlation functions between the impurity site and the conduction sites for these three models. Our results clearly show that, reflecting the presence or absence of unscreened magnetic moment at the impurity site, the spin-spin correlation functions decay as $\ensuremath{\propto}$ ${r}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, differently from the noninteracting limit ($\ensuremath{\propto}$ ${r}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$), for model (i) and as $\ensuremath{\propto}$ ${r}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$, exactly the same as the noninteracting limit, for models (ii) and (iii) in the asymptotic $r$, where $r$ is the distance between the impurity site and the conduction site. Finally, based on our results, we shed light on recent experiments on graphene where the formation of local magnetic moments as well as the Kondo-like behavior have been observed.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.90.195109

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A magnetic moment in a metal or in a quantum dot is, at low temperatures, screened by the conduction electrons through the mechanism of the Kondo effect. This gives rise to spin-spin correlations between the magnetic moment and the conduction electrons, which can have a substantial spatial extension. We study this phenomenon, the so-called Kondo cloud, by means of the density matrix renormalization group method for the case of the single-impurity Anderson model. We focus on the question whether the Kondo screening length, typically assumed to be proportional to the inverse Kondo temperature, can be extracted from the spin-spin correlations. For several mechanisms -- the gate potential and a magnetic field -- that destroy the Kondo effect, we investigate the behavior of the screening cloud induced by these perturbations.

•Jun 16, 2009•0 citations
We introduce a block Lanczos (BL) recursive technique to construct quasi-one-dimensional models, suitable for density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) calculations, from single- as well as multiple-impurity Anderson models in any spatial dimensions. This new scheme, named BL-DMRG method, allows us to calculate not only local but also spatially dependent static and dynamical quantities of the ground state for general Anderson impurity models without losing elaborate geometrical information of the lattice. We show that the BL-DMRG method can be easily extended to treat a multiorbital Anderson impurity model where not only inter- and intraorbital Coulomb interactions but also Hund's coupling and pair hopping interactions are included. We also show that the symmetry adapted BL bases can be utilized, when it is appropriate, to reduce the computational cost. As a demonstration, we apply the BL-DMRG method to three different models for graphene with a structural defect and with a single hydrogen or fluorine absorbed, where a single Anderson impurity is coupled to conduction electrons in the honeycomb lattice. These models include (i) a single adatom on the honeycomb lattice, (ii) a substitutional impurity in the honeycomb lattice, and (iii) an effective model for a single carbon vacancy in graphene. Our analysis of the local dynamical magnetic susceptibility and the local density of states at the impurity site reveals that, for the particle-hole symmetric case at half-filling of electron density, the ground state of model (i) behaves as an isolated magnetic impurity with no Kondo screening, while the ground state of the other two models forms a spin-singlet state where the impurity moment is screened by the conduction electrons. We also calculate the real-space dependence of the spin-spin correlation functions between the impurity site and the conduction sites for these three models. Our results clearly show that, reflecting the presence or absence of unscreened magnetic moment at the impurity site, the spin-spin correlation functions decay as \ensuremath∝\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath∝ r\ensuremath−3{r}^{\ensuremath{-}3}r\ensuremath−3, differently from the noninteracting limit (\ensuremath∝\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath∝ r\ensuremath−2{r}^{\ensuremath{-}2}r\ensuremath−2), for model (i) and as \ensuremath∝\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath∝ r\ensuremath−4{r}^{\ensuremath{-}4}r\ensuremath−4, exactly the same as the noninteracting limit, for models (ii) and (iii) in the asymptotic rrr, where rrr is the distance between the impurity site and the conduction site. Finally, based on our results, we shed light on recent experiments on graphene where the formation of local magnetic moments as well as the Kondo-like behavior have been observed.
We study the ground state properties of a single magnetic impurity in the honeycomb lattice. To understand the non-perturbative properties, we use the density matrix renormalization group method where the honeycomb lattice model is mapped onto an effective one-dimensional model by means of the Lanczos recursion technique. We apply this method to three different models: (i) a magnetic adatom on the honeycomb lattice, (ii) a substitutional magnetic impurity in the honeycomb lattice, and (iii) a defect in the honeycomb lattice. Here, we focus only on the particle-hole symmetric cases and find that the ground state of model (i) is qualitatively different from the others: the magnetic impurity spin behaves like an isolated spin in model (i) while it is screened in models (ii) and (iii) by conduction electrons to form a Kondo singlet like state.
We present a completely unbiased and controlled numerical method to solve quantum impurity problems in ddd-dimensional lattices. This approach is based on a canonical transformation, of the Lanczos form, where the complete lattice Hamiltonian is exactly mapped onto an equivalent one-dimensional system, in the same spirit as Wilson's numerical renormalization, and Haydock's recursion method. We introduce many-body interactions in the form of a Kondo or Anderson impurity and we solve the low-dimensional problem using the density matrix renormalization group. The technique is particularly suited to study systems that are inhomogeneous, and/or have a boundary. The resulting dimensional reduction translates into a reduction of the scaling of the entanglement entropy by a factor ${L}^{d\ensuremath{-}1}$, where LLL is the linear dimension of the original ddd-dimensional lattice. This allows one to calculate the ground state of a magnetic impurity attached to an $L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L$ square lattice and an $L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}L$ cubic lattice with LLL up to 140 sites. We also study the localized edge states in graphene nanoribbons by attaching a magnetic impurity to the edge or the center of the system. For armchair metallic nanoribbons we find a slow decay of the spin correlations as a consequence of the delocalized metallic states. In the case of zigzag ribbons, the decay of the spin correlations depends on the position of the impurity. If the impurity is situated in the bulk of the ribbon, the decay is slow as in the metallic case. On the other hand, if the adatom is attached to the edge, the decay is fast, within few sites of the impurity, as a consequence of the localized edge states, and the short correlation length. The mapping can be combined with ab initio band structure calculations to model the system, and to understand correlation effects in quantum impurity problems starting from first principles.
The density matrix renormalization group method is introduced in energy space to study Anderson impurity models. The method allows for calculations in the thermodynamic limit and is advantageous for studying not only the dynamical properties, but also the quantum entanglement of the ground state at the vicinity of an impurity quantum phase transition. This method is applied to obtain numerically exactly the ground-state phase diagram of the single-impurity Anderson model on the honeycomb lattice at half-filling. The calculation of local static quantities shows that the phase diagram contains two distinct phases, the local moment (LM) phase and the asymmetric strong coupling (ASC) phase, but no Kondo screening phase. These results are supported by the local spin and charge excitation spectra, which exhibit qualitatively different behavior in these two phases and also reveal the existence of the valence fluctuating point at the phase boundary. For comparison, we also study the low-energy effective pseudogap Anderson model using the method introduced here. Although the high-energy excitations are obviously different, we find that the ground-state phase diagram and the asymptotically low-energy excitations are in good quantitative agreement with those for the single-impurity Anderson model on the honeycomb lattice, thus providing a quantitative justification for the previous studies based on low-energy approximate approaches. Furthermore, we find that the lowest entanglement level is doubly degenerate for the LM phase, whereas it is singlet for the ASC phase and is accidentally threefold degenerate at the valence fluctuating point. This should be contrasted with the degeneracy of the energy spectrum because the ground state is found to be always singlet. Our results therefore clearly demonstrate that the low-lying entanglement spectrum can be used to determine with high accuracy the phase boundary of the impurity quantum phase transition.
An essential role for the description of correlated quantum many-particle systems is played by impurity problems. These consist of a small number of localized orbitals, where the electrons are subject to a Coulomb-interaction, coupled to noninteracting bath degrees of freedom. Impurity models are used for the description of magnetic impurities in metals, of quantum points in nanostructures, and in the context of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT). For their solution a large number of numerical methods exists. We mention here quantum Monte Carlo methods, the numerical renormalization group, or the exact diagonalization method. In this thesis we introduce a new approach to impurity problems, which is based on the functional renormalization group (fRG). In contrast to the methods mentioned above this approach is approximative, but it can be applied with comparatively lower numerical effort. The aim of this thesis is to examine the advantages and limits of this method. An important role in this connection is played by the single impurity Anderson model (SIAM), which is already understood very well with other methods and is seen as a prototype for models with strong local correlations. The spin fluctuations of this model are governed by the so-called Kondo energy scale and a central question of this thesis is whether this scale can be reproduced with our approach. We begin with a short introduction to the Green's function formalism for correlated quantum many particle systems. Then the fRG flow equations for the one-particle irreducible vertex functions are deduced, and several approximation schemes are discussed. In chapter 4 we introduce the fRG scheme used in this thesis. At first the SIAM is mapped to a semi-infinite chain, in which the interacting orbital is given by the first site of this chain. The system is then subdivided into two parts. The first part, which is called 'core', consists of the interacting orbital and the first L bath sites. The remaining bath sites form the second part. At the beginning both parts are decoupled from each other such that the core can be solved exactly. Starting with this exact solution the coupling between the core and the remaining bath sites is switched on slowly in a renormalization group flow. This way it is possible to calculate the one-particle and two-particle correlation functions on the correlated site. We call this flow scheme 'hybridization flow'. The flow equations are formulated in an effective theory on the first bath site outside the core, which turns out to be advantageous compared to other implementations of the hybridization flow. In chapter 5 this hybridization flow method is applied to the SIAM with semi-elliptic bath density of states. We discuss the differences which arise for different core-sizes (L = 0,1,2,3) and for different truncations of the fRG flow equations. In the cases L=0 and L=2 the local Fermi liquid properties of the SIAM and the associated Kondo scale can not be reproduced in both approximation schemes. For the core sizes L=1 and L=3 the ground state of the core is already a spin singlet state in the beginning of the flow and the Fermi liquid properties are reproduced. The Kondo energy scale, which determines the width of the central quasi-particle peak and the size of the local spin-susceptibility, is however not accurately resolved. This is partly due to the finite temperature used in our implementation such that for larger interaction strength the temperature is above the Kondo energy scale. The application of the hybridization flow method to quantum impurity problems in the context of the DMFT is discussed in chapter 6. In this approach lattice models with a local interaction, like the Hubbard model, are mapped to an effective impurity problem for a single lattice site embedded in a dynamical mean field representing the influence of the other electrons. This scheme is exact in infinitely many dimensions and a nonperturbative approximation method for finite-dimensional systems. In particular the Mott metal-insulator transition in the Hubbard model is successfully described by this method. One class of quantities, which is easily accessible from the hybridization flow scheme, is given by the local two-particle correlation functions. These play an essential role in non-local extensions of the DMFT. Therefore we mainly focus on these quantities. At first we apply our flow scheme to the Hubbard model on the Bethe lattice in infinite dimensions and calculate the local one-particle irreducible vertex functions in the insulating and the metallic phase in good agreement with previous calculations, which use the exact diagonalization method as impurity solver. After this we extend our flow scheme to a cluster DMFT method, which includes short-range antiferromagnetic correlations and calculate again the local and non-local vertex functions for the two-dimensional Hubbard model. We compare these to the results of the single-site DMFT.
This thesis is concerned with two main topics: first, the advancement of the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) and, second, its applications. In the first project of this thesis we exploit the common mathematical structure of the numerical renormalization group and the DMRG, namely, matrix product states (MPS), to implement an efficient numerical treatment of a two-lead, multi-level Anderson impurity model. By adopting a star-like geometry, where each species (spin and lead) of conduction electrons is described by its own so-called Wilson chain, instead of a single Wilson chain we achieve a very significant reduction in the numerical resources required to obtain reliable results. Moreover, we show that it is possible to find an "optimal" chain basis, in which chain degrees of freedom of different Wilson chains become effectively decoupled from each other further out on the Wilson chains. This basis turns out to also diagonalize the model's chain-to-chain scattering matrix. In the second project we show that Chebychev expansions offer numerically efficient representations for calculating spectral functions of one-dimensional lattice models using MPS methods. The main features of this Chebychev matrix product state (CheMPS) approach are: (i) it achieves uniform resolution over the spectral function's entire spectral width; (ii) it offers a well-controlled broadening scheme; (iii) it is based on using MPS tools to recursively calculate a succession of Chebychev vectors, (iv) whose entanglement entropies were found to remain bounded with increasing recursion order for all cases analyzed here. We present CheMPS results for the structure factor of spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains and perform a detailed finite-size analysis. Making comparisons to benchmark methods, we find that CheMPS yields results comparable in quality to those of correction vector DMRG, at dramatically reduced numerical cost and agrees well with Bethe Ansatz results for an infinite system, within the limitations expected for numerics on finite systems. Following these technologically focused projects we study the so-called Kondo cloud by means of the DMRG in the third project. The Kondo cloud describes the effect of spatially extended spin-spin correlations of a magnetic moment and the conduction electrons which screen the magnetic moment through the Kondo effect at low temperatures. We focus on the question whether the Kondo screening length, typically assumed to be proportional to the inverse Kondo temperature, can be extracted from the spin-spin correlations. We investigate how perturbations which destroy the Kondo effect, like an applied gate potential or a magnetic field, affect the formation of the screening cloud. In a forth project we address the impact of Quantum (anti-)Zeno physics resulting from repeated single-site resolved observations on the many-body dynamics. We use time-dependent DMRG to obtain the time evolution of the full many-body wave function that is then periodically projected in order to simulate realizations of stroboscopic measurements. For the example of a 1-D lattice of spin-polarized fermions with nearest-neighbor interactions, we find regimes for which many-particle configurations are stabilized and destabilized depending on the interaction strength and the time between observations.
A magnetic moment in a metal or in a quantum dot is, at low temperatures, screened by the conduction electrons through the mechanism of the Kondo effect. This gives rise to spin-spin correlations between the magnetic moment and the conduction electrons, which can have a substantial spatial extension. We study this phenomenon, the so-called Kondo cloud, by means of the density matrix renormalization group method for the case of the single-impurity Anderson model. We focus on the question whether the Kondo screening length, typically assumed to be proportional to the inverse Kondo temperature, can be extracted from the spin-spin correlations. For several mechanisms -- the gate potential and a magnetic field -- that destroy the Kondo effect, we investigate the behavior of the screening cloud induced by these perturbations.