arXiv:cond-mat/0011259 · International Journal of Quantum Chemistry
Theory of strongly correlated electron systems: Hubbard–Anderson models from an exact Hamiltonian, and perturbation theory near the atomic limit within a nonorthogonal basis set
In this Thesis, we develop and apply an accurate method to determine the ground-state properties of strongly-correlated electrons in the framework of lattice model Hamiltonians. In lattice density-functional theory (LDFT) the basic variable is the one-particle density matrix γ. From a generalized HK theorem, the ground state energy Egs[γgs] = minγ E[γ] is obtained by minimizing the energy-functional E[γ] over all the physical or representable γ. The energy functional can be divided into two contributions: the kinetic-energy functional T [γ], which linear dependence on γ is exactly known, and the correlation-energy functional W [γ], which dependence on γ is not explicitly known. Finding accurate approximations for W [γ] constitutes the actual challenge of this thesis. Part of this work is based on previous studies which derive an approximation of W [γ] for the Hubbard Hamiltonian based on scaling hypothesis and an exact analytical results for the Hubbard dimer. However, this approach is limited to spin independent and homogeneous systems. In order to extend the scope of LDFT, we have developed three different approaches to derive W [γ] in order to study broken symmetry problems. First we extend the previous scaling functional to system having charge transfer. By a systematic study of the dependence of W [γ] on the charge distribution we find similar scaling properties as for the homogeneous case. An extension to the Hubbard model on bipartite lattices is then derived and applied to finite and infinite systems with repulsive and attractive interactions. The high accuracy of this functional is demonstrated. Nevertheless, this approach is difficult to transfer to more complex systems, since the calculation of W [γ] applies to the system as a whole. To overcome this problem, we derive another approximation based on local scaling properties. This functional is formulated on-site so that it can be applied to any ordered or disordered Hamiltonian with on-site interaction. As applications we study the metal-insulator transition in the ionic Hubbard model in oneand two-dimensions, as well as the one-dimensional Hubbard chain with first and second nearest neighbor hoppings. Finally, we develop a numerical approach of W [γ], on the basis on exact diagonalizations of an effective many-body Hamiltonian corresponding to a cluster surrounded by an effective medium. This effective Hamiltonian depends on the density matrix γ and allows to derive approximation to W [γ] which improve systematically with increasing cluster size. The formulation is spin-dependent and allows a straightforward generalization to multi-orbital correlated systems such spd-Hamiltonians. In addition it take into account the effects of short-range charge and spin fluctuations in the functional. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated for the Hubbard model by comparison with the Bethe-Ansatz solution (1D) and quantum Monte Carlo simulations (2D). Finally, an outlook or relevant future developments of the theory is provided.
A review of electronic dynamics of single-impurity and many-impurity Anderson models is contained in this report. Those models are used widely for many of the applications in diverse fields of interest, such as surface physics, theory of chemisorption and adsorbate reactions on metal surfaces, physics of intermediate valence systems, theory of heavy fermions, physics of quantum dots and other nanostructures. While standard treatments are generally based on perturbation methods, our approach is based on the non-perturbative technique for the thermodynamic Green functions. The method of the irreducible Green functions is used as the basic tool. This irreducible Green functions method allows one to describe the quasiparticle spectra with damping of the strongly correlated electron systems in a very general and natural way and to construct the relevant dynamical solution in a self-consistent way on the level of Dyson equation without decoupling the chain of the equations of motion for the Green functions. The subject matter includes the improved interpolating solution of the Anderson model. It was shown that an interpolating approximation, which simultaneously reproduces the weak-coupling limit up to second order in the interaction strength U and the strong-coupling limit up to second order in the hybridization V (and thus also fulfils the atomic limit) can be formulated self-consistently. This approach offers a new way for the systematic construction of approximate interpolation dynamical solutions of strongly correlated electron systems.
On the basis of a regular perturbation theory in the form of diagrammatic technique with X-operators, a ferromagnetic state in the Hubbard model with infinite on-site Coulomb interaction U is studied for a wide range of electron concentration n. Treating the kinetic energy of electrons as perturbation, we get the exact graphic representations for three Green’s functions [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] for electrons with spin ↑ and ↓ (spontaneous magnetic moment is in ↑ direction) and [Formula: see text] for spin waves. All of them are expressed through the unique system of four-point and three-point vertex parts for effective electron-magnon and electron-electron interactions. These vertex parts are calculated in two approximations: a low-density approximation for n≪1 or nh=1–n≫1, and the generalized random-phase approximation (GRPA), which was suggested earlier by us for the description of paramagnetic phase in this model. An important result in both cases is the understanding of essential difference of electron states with spin ↑ and ↓. The state for ↑ has coherent character in all region of electron concentration (n>nc) where a ferromagnetic state exists, while the state for spin ↓ has mixed characters including both coherent and incoherent contribution. For the saturated ferromagnetism (n>ns) when nh≪1, [Formula: see text] is an entirely incoherent (nonquasiparticle) state. Appearance of incoherent state is probably a general property of strongly correlated systems distinguishing its behavior from the Fermi liquid. We show also that the Hubbard-I approximation has no region of applicability for the electron with spin ↓ in a ferromagnet and we found a new factor describing the correlation-narrowing of ↓ spin electron band. Green’s function [Formula: see text] calculated in two different limits n≪1 and nh≪1, are jointed together to allow us to calculate ns which lies in the intermediate concentration regime. For simple cubic lattice we found ns=0.87. In the limit nh≪1 our results reduce to the earlier known ones, including Nagaoka’s result for the spin wave energy. We point out the way to construct a rigorous theory for ferromagnetic state in the intermediate range of electron concentration. In the conclusion several important problems are discussed in connection to the continuation of the present work.
Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) is usually formulated in terms of the electron density as a function of position n(r). Here we discuss an alternative formulation of DFT in terms of the orbital occupation numbers {n α } associated with a local-orbital orthonormal basis set {ϕ α }. First, we discuss how the building blocks of DFT, namely the Hohenberg–Kohn theorems, the Levy–Lieb approach and the Kohn–Sham method, can be adapted for a description in terms of {n α }. In particular, the total energy is now a function of {n α }, E[{n α }], and a Kohn–Sham-like Hamiltonian is derived introducing the effects of the electron–electron interactions via effective potentials, { V α eff = ∂ E e e [ { n β } ] / ∂ n α } . In a second step we consider the Hartree and exchange energies and discuss how to describe them, in the spirit of a DFT approach, in terms of the orbital occupation numbers. In this contribution special attention is paid to the description of the (intra-atomic) correlation energy and corresponding correlation potentials {V corr,α }. For this purpose, a model system is analyzed in detail, whereby an atomic Hamiltonian interacts with the environment via a simplified model; the use of this model allows us to obtain the correlation energy and potentials (in terms of {n α }) for different cases corresponding to low, intermediate and high electron correlations.
In this work we investigate some aspects of the physics of strongly correlated systems by taking into account both electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions as basic mechanisms for reproducing electronic correlations in real materials. The relevance of the electron-electron interactions is discussed in the first part of this thesis in the framework of a self-consistent theoretical approach, named Composite Operator Method (COM), which accounts for the relevant quasi-particle excitations in terms of a set of composite operators that appear as a result of the modification imposed by the interactions on the canonical electronic fields. We show that the COM allows the calculation of all the relevant Green’s and correlation functions in terms of a number of unknown internal parameters to be determined self-consistently. Therefore, depending on the balance between unknown parameters and self-consistent equations, exact and approximate solutions can be obtained. By way of example, we discuss the application of the COM to the extended t-U- J-h model in the atomic limit, and to the two-dimensional single-band Hubbard model. In the former case, we show that the COM provides the exact solution of the model in one dimension. We study the effects of electronic correlations as responsible for the formation of a plethora of different charge and/or spin orderings. We report the phase diagram of the model, as well as a detailed analysis of both zero and finite temperature single-particle and thermodynamic properties. As far as the single-band Hubbard model is concerned, we illustrate an approximated selfconsistent scheme based on the choice of a two-field basis. We report a detailed analysis of many unconventional features that arise in single-particle properties, thermodynamics and system’s response functions. We emphasize that the accuracy of the COM in describing the effects of electronic correlations strongly relies on the choice of the basis, paving the way for possible multi-pole extensions to the twofield theory. To this purpose, we also study a three-field approach to the single-band Hubbard model, showing a significant step forward in the agreements with numerical data with respect to the two-pole results. The role of the electron-phonon interaction in the physics of strongly correlated systems is discussed in the second part of this thesis. We show that in highly polarizable lattices the competition between unscreened Coulomb and Fröhlich interactions results in a short-range polaronic exchange term Jp that favours the formation of local and light pairs of bosonic nature, named bipolarons, which condense with a critical temperature well in excess of hundred kelvins. These findings, discussed in the framework of the so-called polaronic t-Jp model, are further investigated in the presence of a finite on-site potential ~U , coming from the competition between on-site Coulomb and Fröhlich interactions. We discuss the role of ~U as the driving parameter for a small-to-large bipolaron transition, providing a possible explanation of the BEC-BCS crossover in terms of the properties of the bipolaronic ground state. Finally, we show that a hard-core bipolarons gas, studied as a charged Bose-Fermi mixture, allows for the description of many non Fermi liquid behaviours, allowing also for a microscopic explanation of pseudogap features in terms of a thermal-induced recombination of polarons and bipolarons, without any assumption on preexisting order or broken symmetries. [edited by Author]