Whether in the thermodynamic limit of lattice length L→∞, hole concentration mηz=−2Sηz/L=1−ne→0, nonzero temperature T>0, and U/t>0 the charge stiffness of the 1D Hubbard model with first neighbor transfer integral t and on-site repulsion U is finite or vanishes and thus whether there is or there is no ballistic charge transport, respectively, remains an unsolved and controversial issue, as different approaches yield contradictory results. (Here Sηz=−(L−Ne)/2 is the η-spin projection and ne=Ne/L the electronic density.) In this paper we provide an upper bound on the charge stiffness and show that (similarly as at zero temperature), for T>0 and U/t>0 it vanishes for mηz→0 within the canonical ensemble in the thermodynamic limit L→∞. Moreover, we show that at high temperature T→∞ the charge stiffness vanishes as well within the grand-canonical ensemble for L→∞ and chemical potential μ→μu where (μ−μu)≥0 and 2μu is the Mott–Hubbard gap. The lack of charge ballistic transport indicates that charge transport at finite temperatures is dominated by a diffusive contribution. Our scheme uses a suitable exact representation of the electrons in terms of rotated electrons for which the numbers of singly occupied and doubly occupied lattice sites are good quantum numbers for U/t>0. In contrast to often less controllable numerical studies, the use of such a representation reveals the carriers that couple to the charge probes and provides useful physical information on the microscopic processes behind the exotic charge transport properties of the 1D electronic correlated system under study.
Finite-temperature T > 0 transport properties of integrable and nonintegrable one-dimensional (1D) many-particle quantum systems are rather different, showing ballistic and diffusive behavior, respectively. The repulsive 1D Hubbard model is a prominent example of an integrable correlated system. For electronic densities n ≠ 1 (and spin densities m ≠ 0) it is an ideal charge (and spin) conductor, with ballistic charge (and spin) transport for T ⩾ 0. In spite of the fact that it is solvable by the Bethe ansatz, at n = 1 (and m = 0) its T > 0 charge (and spin) transport properties are an issue that remains poorly understood. Here we combine this solution with symmetry and the explicit calculation of current-operator matrix elements between energy eigenstates to show that for on-site repulsion U > 0 and at n = 1 the charge stiffness D η ( T ) vanishes for T > 0 in the thermodynamic limit. A similar behavior is found by such methods for the spin stiffness D s ( T ) for U > 0 and T > 0, which vanishes at m = 0. This absence of finite temperature n = 1 ballistic charge transport and m = 0 ballistic spin transport are exact results that clarify long-standing open problems.
Finite-temperature T>0 transport properties of integrable and nonintegrable one-dimensional (1D) many-particle quantum systems are rather different, showing in the metallic phases ballistic and diffusive behavior, respectively. The repulsive 1D Hubbard model is an integrable system of wide physical interest. For electronic densities
n=1 it is an ideal conductor, with ballistic charge transport for T larger or equal to 0. In spite that it is solvable by the Bethe ansatz, at
n=1 its T>0 transport properties are a collective-behavior issue that remains poorly understood. Here we combine that solution with symmetry to show that for on-site repulsion U>0 the charge stiffness D (T) vanishes for T>0 in the thermodynamic limit. This absence of finite-temperature ballistic charge transport is an exact result that clarifies a long-standing open problem.
We study the current, the curvature of levels, and the finite temperature charge stiffness,
D(T,L), in the strongly correlated limit $U\ensuremath{\gg}t$ for Hubbard rings of L sites, with U the on-site Coulomb repulsion and t the hopping integral. Our study is done for finite-size systems and any band filling. Up to order t, we derive our results following two independent approaches, namely, using the solution provided by the Bethe ansatz and the solution provided by an algebraic method, where the electronic operators are represented in a slave-fermion picture. We find that, in the $U=\ensuremath{\infty}$ case, the finite-temperature charge stiffness is finite for electronic densities n smaller than 1. These results are essentially those of spinless fermions in a lattice of size L, apart from small corrections coming from a statistical flux, due to the spin degrees of freedom. Up to order t, the Mott-Hubbard gap is ${\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{\mathrm{MH}}=U\ensuremath{-}4t,$ and we find that
D(T) is finite for
n<1, but is zero at half filling. This result comes from the effective flux felt by the holon excitations, which, due to the presence of doubly occupied sites, is renormalized to ${\ensuremath{\Phi}}^{\mathrm{eff}}=\ensuremath{\varphi}{(N}_{h}\ensuremath{-}{N}_{d}{)/(N}_{d}{+N}_{h}),$ and which is zero at half filling, with
Nd and
Nh being the number of doubly occupied and empty lattice sites, respectively. Further, for half filling, the current transported by any eigenstate of the system is zero and, therefore,
D(T) is also zero.
Most studies on the one-dimensional (1D) Hubbard model with transfer integral
t and on-site repulsion
U have assumed that for
u=U/4t>0 and $h=\ensuremath{\mu}=0$, where
h denotes the magnetic field and $\ensuremath{\mu}$ the chemical potential, its global symmetry is $\mathrm{SO}(4)=[\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(2)]/{Z}_{2}$. However, both in 1D and for the
U>0 Hubbard model on any bipartite lattice it is actually larger and given by $[\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{SU}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)]/{Z}_{2}^{2}=[\mathrm{SO}(4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)]/{Z}_{2}$. The studies of this paper account for the irreducible representations of that symmetry to identify both the spin and charge carriers that populate each of the energy eigenstates that span that model full Hilbert space. The global $\ensuremath{\tau}$-translational U(1) symmetry beyond
SO(4) is found to describe the relative translational degrees of freedom of such spin and charge carriers, respectively. We show that important finite-temperature transport quantities as the
h>0 spin and $\ensuremath{\mu}>0$ charge stiffnesses and the
h=0 spin and $\ensuremath{\mu}=0$ charge diffusion constants are controlled by microscopic processes associated with the spin and charge elementary currents carried by these spin and charge carriers, respectively. We describe the model finite-temperature transport properties in terms of the microscopic processes associated with the spin and charge elementary currents carried by the corresponding carriers. We expect that the general $\ensuremath{\tau}$- and physical $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-spin representation used in our study is that suitable to address the open problems on finite-temperature transport in the 1D Hubbard model also discussed in this paper.
The use of hydrodynamic transport theory seems to indicate that the charge diffusion constant
D of the one-dimensional (1D) half-filled Hubbard model, whose Drude weight vanishes, diverges for temperature
T>0, which would imply anomalous superdiffusive charge transport. Here the leading term of that constant is derived for low finite temperatures ${k}_{B}T/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\eta}}\ensuremath{\ll}1$ where ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\eta}}$ is the Mott-Hubbard gap. It only diverges in the $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ limit, being finite and decreasing upon increasing
T within the ${k}_{B}T/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\eta}}\ensuremath{\ll}1$ regime. Our exact results both provide valuable physical information on a complex quantum problem and bring about the interesting unsolved issue of how charge transport evolves from normal diffusive for ${k}_{B}T/{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{\ensuremath{\eta}}\ensuremath{\ll}1$ to anomalous superdiffusive in the ${k}_{B}T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ limit.
The one-dimensional (1D) Hubbard model at zero magnetic field, h=0, and zero chemical potential, μ=0, and, thus, at the h=μ=0[SO(4)×U(1)]/Z2-symmetry point, is the paradigmatic quantum system for low-dimensional strongly correlated electron 1D Mott-Hubbard insulators. Studies relying on hydrodynamic theory and Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling have found that for the 1D Hubbard model at the h=μ=0 point, both spin and charge transports are for all temperatures T>0 that are anomalous superdiffusive. In this paper, we review recent results that correct the hydrodynamic theory and KPZ scaling prediction concerning the finite-temperature charge transport, as it is normal diffusive for all finite temperatures T>0. This failure of the hydrodynamic theory and KPZ scaling stems from the misleading assumption that the h=μ=0[SO(4)×U(1)]/Z2-symmetry point rather is a h=μ=0SO(4)-symmetry point. Such an assumption has ignored the quantum effects associated with the τ-translational U(1) symmetry beyond SO(4).