In order to develop our theoretical understanding of the superconducting state of strongly correlated electron systems, we investigate the many-body ground state of the attractive Hubbard model in infinite dimensions using the Gutzwiller-type projected BCS variational (GBCS) wave function. We first calculate various physical quantities by numerically evaluating analytical equations for systems in the thermodynamic limit. We then show that the GBCS wave function has the lowest energy when the gap parameter has a mixture of s wave and extended s wave pairing symmetry and that the ground state energy of the GBCS is lower than that of either the BCS or Fermi liquid at any electron density and any strength of the attractive interactions in our model. We also show that with infinite strength interactions, each pair of electrons with opposite spins forms a tightly bound pair on a lattice site (BEC-like state). We find a smooth crossover from a BCS-like state with large, overlapping Cooper pairs (for weakly attractive interactions) to a BEC-like state of composite bosons formed out of the tightly bound pairs of fermions (for strongly attractive interactions).
In order to develop our theoretical understanding of the superconducting state of strongly correlated electron systems, we investigate the many-body ground state of the attractive Hubbard model in infinite dimensions using the Gutzwiller-type projected BCS variational (GBCS) wave function. We first calculate various physical quantities by numerically evaluating analytical equations for systems in the thermodynamic limit. We then show that the GBCS wave function has the lowest energy when the gap parameter has a mixture of s wave and extended s wave pairing symmetry and that the ground state energy of the GBCS is lower than that of either the BCS or Fermi liquid at any electron density and any strength of the attractive interactions in our model. We also show that with infinite strength interactions, each pair of electrons with opposite spins forms a tightly bound pair on a lattice site (BEC-like state). We find a smooth crossover from a BCS-like state with large, overlapping Cooper pairs (for weakly attractive interactions) to a BEC-like state of composite bosons formed out of the tightly bound pairs of fermions (for strongly attractive interactions).
We use the variational cluster approximation to study the superconducting ground state in the two-dimensional attractive Hubbard model, putting particular emphasis on the significance of quantum fluctuations of the system. We first show that the order parameter is suppressed in comparison with that obtained using the mean-field theory owing to the effects of spatial fluctuations in two-dimensional systems. We then show that the calculated Bogoliubov quasiparticle spectra and condensation amplitude clearly exhibit the character of Cooper pairs in momentum space and that the pair coherence length ξ evaluated from the condensation amplitude demonstrates a smooth crossover in real space from a weakly paired BCS state (ξ≫a) to a BEC state of tightly bound pairs (ξ≪a), where a is the lattice constant. The calculated kinetic and potential energies in the superconducting and normal ground states indicate that the superconducting state in the weak-coupling region is driven by the gain in potential energy, while that in the strongcoupling region is driven by the gain in kinetic energy.
We extend previous studies of the (BCS) canonical approach for the attractive Hubbard model. A derivation of the BCS formulation is presented for both the Hubbard model and a simpler reduced Hamiltonian. Using direct diagonalization, exact one- and two-dimensional solutions for both Hamiltonians are compared to BCS variational calculations. Approximate and exact ground state energies and energy gaps are computed for different electron number systems as well as correlation observables not previously predicted. Reproducing published one-dimensional findings, the BCS approach is an excellent approximation for the Hubbard ground state energy but not the energy gap, a finding that remains true in two dimensions. Propagators and correlators are found more sensitive to wave functions and appreciable differences are computed with the Hubbard model exhibiting a weaker degree of superconductivity than the BCS. Even for weak coupling pronounced differences are found between the BCS and Hubbard on-site correlators. Significantly, in the extreme strong coupling limit the Hubbard model exhibits no dimensional crossover, or density induced transitions, to long-range order in two dimensions. However, for the reduced Hamiltonian the BCS approach is an excellent approximation for all observables in both one and two dimensions.
The ground-state energy and energy gap to the first excited state are calculated for the attractive Hubbard model in one dimension using both the Bethe ansatz equations and the variational BCS wave function. Comparisons are provided as a function of coupling strength and electron density. While the ground-state energies are always in very good agreement, the BCS energy gap is sometimes incorrect by an order of magnitude, particularly at half-filling. Finite-size effects are also briefly discussed for cases where an exact solution in the thermodynamic limit is not possible. In general, the BCS result for the energy gap is poor compared to the exact result.
We study properties of normal, superconducting (SC) and CDW states for an attractive Hubbard model on the square lattice, using a variational Monte Carlo method. In trial wave functions, we introduce an interspinon binding factor, indispensable to induce a spin-gap transition in the normal state, in addition to the onsite attractive and intersite repulsive factors. It is found that, in the normal state, as the interaction strength ∣U∣/t increases, a first-order spin-gap transition arises at ∣Uc∣∼W (W: band width) from a Fermi liquid to a spin-gapped state, which is conductive through hopping of doublons. In the SC state, we confirm by analysis of various quantities that the mechanism of superconductivity undergoes a smooth crossover at around $|U_{\ma{co}}|\sim |U_{\rm c}|$ from a BCS type to a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) type, as ∣U∣/t increases. For $|U||U_{\ma{co}}|$, quantities such as the energy gain in the SC transition and superfluid stiffness, which is related to the cost of phase coherence, behave as ∼t2/∣U∣∝Tc, as expected in a bosonic scheme. In this regime, the SC transition is induced by a gain in kinetic energy, in contrast with the BCS theory. We refer to the relevance to the pseudogap in cuprate superconductors.
In this paper we address the behavior of the superfluid transition temperature Tc in the attractive Hubbard model. The attractive Hubbard model can be regarded as the generalization of the BCS to Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) crossover to a lattice and, as such, may have implications for future optical lattice studies. Nevertheless, the BEC limit of the Hubbard model is very different from that of the better-studied Fermi gases, owing to the strong intersite repulsion between pairs. Here we address systematically the effects of pairing fluctuations for all filling fractions over the entire range of attractive interaction strength. A central conclusion of our work is that in a lattice, around half filling, the smooth evolution from the BCS to the BEC limits is interrupted: Tc vanishes when the system approaches the bosonic regime with increasing interaction strength. We suggest that this interruption of crossover may signal a quantum critical transition to another form of superfluid not continuously connected to a BCS-like phase. A simple variational ansatz for an alternate ground state in this more strongly coupled superfluid is presented. A generalization of the (s-wave) Hubbard model to d-wave pairing allows us to address issues of relevance to high-Tc superconductivity. The phase diagram (representing the pairing or pseudogap onset temperature T∗ and Tc) shows that here too one observes a vanishing of Tc when T∗ becomes sufficiently large. Given this predicted breakdown of the crossover, and given the striking similarity to features of the cuprate phase diagram, we suggest that future experiments on ultracold fermions in optical lattices should not be exclusively limited to the repulsive Hubbard model, but should address the attractive model in order to elucidate features of high-temperature superconductivity.
With the pseudogap in cuprate superconductors in mind, we study an attractive Hubbard model on the square lattice, in which the mechanism of superconductivity undergoes a crossover at |Uco|/t from a BCS type to a Bose-Einstein condensation type, as the interaction strength |U|/t increases. Correspondingly, for |U|>|Uco|, a normatate, realized for T>Tc, is considered to exhibit gapped behavior. We try to construct such a state and study its properties using a variational Monte Carlo method, which treats the local correlation accurately and can connect the weak-and strong-correlation limits continuously. We introduce an intersite correlation factor between antiparallel spins in nearest-neighbor sites, in addition to the onsite (Gutzwiller) projection. This factor brings about a first-order transition from a metal to a spin-gapped phase at |U=|Uc|=W (bandwidth). For |U|>|Uc|, a gap opens in the spin degree of freedom, whereas the charge sector remains gapless. In this phase, conductivity is caused by a hopping of doublons.