Anomalous Normal-State Properties of High-T c Superconductors - Intrinsic Properties of Strongly Correlated Electron Systems? Invited for publication in Advances in Physics
A systematic study of optical and transport properties of the Hubbard model, based on Metzner and Vollhardt’s dynamical mean-field approximation, is reviewed. This model shows interesting anomalous properties that are, in our opinion, ubiquitous to singleband strongly correlated systems (for all spatial dimensions greater than one), and also compare qualitatively with many anomalous transport features of the high-Tc cuprates. This anomalous behavior of the normal-state properties is traced to a “collective singleband Kondo effect,” in which a quasiparticle resonance forms at the Fermi level as the temperature is lowered, ultimately yielding a strongly renormalized Fermi liquid at zero temperature.
A systematic study of optical and transport properties of the Hubbard model, based on Metzner and Vollhardt’s dynamical mean-field approximation, is reviewed. This model shows interesting anomalous properties that are, in our opinion, ubiquitous to singleband strongly correlated systems (for all spatial dimensions greater than one), and also compare qualitatively with many anomalous transport features of the high-Tc cuprates. This anomalous behavior of the normal-state properties is traced to a “collective singleband Kondo effect,” in which a quasiparticle resonance forms at the Fermi level as the temperature is lowered, ultimately yielding a strongly renormalized Fermi liquid at zero temperature.
A systematic study of optical and transport properties of the Hubbard model, based on the Metzner-Vollhardt dynamical mean-field approximation, is reviewed. This model shows interesting anomalous properties that are, in our opinion, ubiquitous to single-band strongly correlated systems (for all spatial dimensions greater than one) and also compare qualitatively with many anomalous transport features of the high-T c cuprates. This anomalous behaviour of the normal-state properties is traced to a ‘collective single-band Kondo effect’, in which a quasiparticle resonance forms at the Fermi level as the temperature is lowered, ultimately yielding a strongly renormalized Fermi liquid at zero temperature.
The principal purpose of this topical review is to single out some of the universal features of high-temperature (high-Tc) and related strongly-correlated systems, which can be compared with experiment in a quantitative manner. The description starts with the concept of exchange-interaction-mediated (real-space) pairing, combined with strong correlations among narrow band electrons, for which the reference state is that of the Mott–Hubbard insulator. The physical discussion of concrete properties relies on variational approach, starting from generalized renormalized mean-field theory (RMFT) in the form of statistically-consistent Gutzwiller approximation (SGA), and its subsequent generalization, i.e., a systematic Diagrammatic Expansion of the Variational (Gutzwiller-type) Wave Function (DE-GWF). The solution leads to the two energy scales, one involving unconventional quasiparticles close to the Fermi energy, and the other reflecting the fully correlated state, involving electrons deeper below the Fermi surface. Those two regimes are separated by a kink in the dispersion relation, which is observed in photoemission. As a result, one obtains both the doping dependent properties in the correlated state, and effective renormalized quasiparticles. The reviewed ground-state characteristics for high-Tc systems encompass high-Tc superconductivity, nematicity, charge- (and pair-) density-wave effects, as well as non-BCS kinetic energy gain in the paired state. The calculated dynamic properties are: the universal Fermi velocity, the Fermi wave-vector, the effective mass enhancement, the pseudogap; and the d-wave gap magnitude. We discuss that, within the variational approach, the minimal realistic model is represented by the so-called t-J-U Hamiltonian. Inadequacy of the t-J and Hubbard models, particularly of their RMFT versions, is discussed explicitly. For heavy fermion systems, modeled by the Anderson lattice model and with the DE-GWF approach, we discuss the phase diagram, encompassing superconducting, Kondo insulating, ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic states. The superconducting state is then a two-d-wave gap system. If the orbital degeneracy of f-electrons is included, the coexistent ferromagnetic- (spin–triplet) superconducting phases appear and match those observed for UGe2 in a semiquantitative manner. Finally, in the second part, we generalize our approach to the collective spin and charge fluctuations in high-Tc systems, starting from variational approach, defining the saddle-point state, and combining it with 1/N expansion. The present scheme differs essentially from that starting from the saddle-point Hartree–Fock approximation, and incorporating the fluctuations in the random phase approximation (RPA). The spectrum of collective spin and charge excitations is determined for the Hubbard and t-J-U models, and subsequently compared quantitatively with recent experiments. The Appendices provide formal details to make this review self-contained.
New insights into the strongly correlated Fermi liquid state of the SU(N) infinite-U Hubbard and t-J models are presented in connection to the metallic state of unbroken symmetry of the copper oxide planes. The nature of single particle and collective excitations is analyzed and the Landau Fermi Liquid parameters are derived. The one-particle spectral function in the Hubbard valence band is obtained with both Hubbard and Gutzwiller-like features. A simple interpretation of the large incoherent background is given in terms of a superposition of quasiparticles and a collective mode describing the propagation of a bare hole in a large U system. The spin exchange interactions produce very low lying collective modes describing the propagation of staggered spin chirality which soften at incommensurate wavevectors. The quasiparticles are strongly scattered by the low lying chirality fluctuations resulting in deviations from canonical Fermi liquid behavior at low energy scales. Of the same origin, the quasiparticle self energy is found to be strongly k-dependent. It leads to corrections to the dispersion and enhancement of the quasiparticle lifetime in the hole-like region of the interacting Fermi surface. The combined effects are sufficient to produce a sign change in the Hall coefficient evaluated for parameters relevant to the copper oxide planes. We show that these models also exhibit a zero temperature fluctuation driven transition from Fermi liquid to non Fermi liquid phase without the onset of magnetic ordering below a critical doping δc=1/4N, whereby providing a microscopic mechanism for the destruction of the Fermi liquid coherence by strong longitudinal gauge fluctuations which represent the effects of the infinite-U constraint.
Significant advances in numerical techniques have enabled recent breakthroughs in the study of various properties of the Hubbard model - a seemingly simple, yet complex model of correlated electrons that has been a focus of study for more than half a century. In particular, it captures the essence of strong correlations, and is believed to possess various emergent, low energy states and collective excitations characteristic of cuprate high-temperature superconducting materials. While a thorough review of all activity is not possible here, we have focused the discussion on our recent work using unbiased, numerically exact, ``brute force", finite temperature quantum Monte Carlo methods. Our various studies reveal a rich variety of quantum liquid crystal phases, and complementary transport properties, which answer some questions, but certainly raise others concerning ``strange metal" behavior and the ultimate fate of quasiparticles in the Hubbard model.
Anomalous properties of the normal state of a strongly correlated electron system described by an attractive extended Hubbard model are investigated. The equations of motion of the Green’s functions are calculated with the two-pole approximation which gives rise to quasiparticle renormalized bands. The two-pole approximation leads to a set of correlation functions. In particular, the antiferromagnetic correlation function plays an important role as a source of anomalies in the normal state of the model. The uniform static magnetic susceptibility as a function of occupation n T and temperature is calculated. At low temperatures, the susceptibility presents a peak for n T ≃ 0.80. The results suggest that it is the onset of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations, which could be a mechanism for the pseudogap. The Fermi surface, defined by the spectral function , is presented for different dopings. It has been observed that above n T ≃ 0.80 the ordinary Fermi surface evolves to a hole pocket with pseudogaps near the antinodal points (0,π) and (π,0).
Strongly correlated electron systems show a rich variety of astonishing physical phenomena. However, the strong interactions make the theoretical description of these systems a highly non-trivial task. Even the simplest models cannot be solved exactly, and one has to reside to approximative solutions, which often cover only certain aspects of the physics contained in these models. In recent years progress has been made in the theoretical description of correlated lattice systems through the mapping of lattice models onto effective impurity models. The most prominent example is the mapping of the Hubbard model onto an effective single impurity Anderson model (SIAM). Within this description both models feature the prominent Kondo effect, which leads to the emergence of low energy quasiparticles. The occurrence of such excitations is a result of the dynamical screening of local magnetic moments and the corresponding formation of a low temperature Fermi liquid phase. On the other hand these theories usually fail in the description of non Fermi liquid behavior, which is for example observed in the normal state of high temperature superconductors and some Heavy-Fermion systems. Strong nonlocal fluctuations drive the dynamics of these systems. In the theoretical treatment, due to the mapping of the lattice problem to an effective single impurity problem, these fluctuations are not adequately described.\\\\ In this thesis a new self-consistent approach for the inclusion of spatial correlations is presented for the Hubbard model. In contrast to existing quantum cluster theories in this field, the approach allows for the simultaneous description of short and long range pair correlations. Due to the intimate connection of this new lattice theory with the two impurity Anderson model (TIAM) a thorough numerical investigation of the TIAM is undertaken in this thesis. The competition of the Kondo effect with the RKKY interactions is studied in great detail. Furthermore two new solvers for the TIAM are introduced, which extend existing non crossing approximations for the SIAM.