We re-examine the Peierls insulator to Mott insulator transition scenario in the one-dimensional Holstein-Hubbard model where, at half-filling, electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions compete for establishing charge- and spin-density-wave states, respectively. By means of large-scale density-matrix renormalization group calculations we determine the spin, single-particle and two-particle excitation gaps and prove —in the course of a careful finite-size scaling analysis— recent claims for an intervening metallic phase in the weak-coupling regime. We show that for large phonon frequencies the metallic region is even more extended than previously expected, and subdivided into ordinary Luttinger-liquid and bipolaronic-liquid phases.
Electron- and phonon spectral functions of the one-dimensional, spinless-fermion Holstein model at half filling are calculated in the four distinct regimes of the phase diagram, corresponding to an attractive or repulsive Luttinger liquid at weak electron-phonon coupling, and a band- or polaronic insulator at strong coupling. The results obtained by means of kernel polynomial and systematic cluster approaches reveal substantially different physics in these regimes and further indicate that the size of the phonon frequency significantly affects the nature of the quantum Peierls phase transition, the latter being either of the soft-mode or central-peak type. The generic features observed are relevant to several classes of low-dimensional materials.
The quantum phase transition between a repulsive Luttinger liquid and an insulating Peierls state is studied in the framework of the one-dimensional spinless Holstein model. We focus on the adiabatic regime but include the full quantum dynamics of the phonons. Using continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we track, in particular, the dynamic charge structure factor and the single-particle spectrum across the transition. With increasing electron-phonon coupling, the dynamic charge structure factor reveals the emergence of a charge gap and a clear signature of phonon softening at the zone boundary. The single-particle spectral function evolves continuously across the transition. Hybridization of the charge and phonon modes of the Luttinger liquid description leads to two modes, one of which corresponds to the coherent polaron band. This band acquires a gap upon entering the Peierls phase, whereas the other mode constitutes the incoherent, high-energy spectrum with backfolded shadow bands. Coherent polaronic motion is a direct consequence of quantum lattice fluctuations. In the strong-coupling regime, the spectrum is described by the static, mean-field limit. Importantly, whereas finite electron density in general leads to screening of polaron effects, the latter reappear at half-filling due to charge ordering and lattice dimerization.