We present an exact diagonalization study of the dynamical spin and density correlation functions in small clusters of the t-J model, focusing on the regime of intermediate and low electron densities, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\rho}}}_{\mathit{e}}$0.5. In two dimensions (2D) both correlation functions agree remarkably well with the convolution of the single-particle spectral function, i.e., the simplest estimate possible within a Fermi-liquid picture. Deviations from the convolution are shown to originate from symmetry-related selection rules, which are unaccounted for in the convolution estimate. For all fillngs under consideration, we show that the low-energy peaks originate from particle-hole excitations between the Fermi momenta, as expected for a Fermi liquid. We contrast this with the behavior in 1D, where spin and density correlation function show the differences characteristic of spin-charge separation and where neither correlation function is approximated well by the convolution.
Based on a variational approach, we propose that there are two kinds of low-energy states in the t-J-type models at low doping. In a quasiparticle state an unpaired spin bound to a hole with a well-defined momentum can be excited with spin waves. The resulting state shows a suppression of antiferromagnetic order around the hole with the profile of a spin bag. These spin-bag states with spin and charge or hole separated form a continuum of low-energy excitations. Very different properties predicted by these two kinds of states explain a number of anomalous results observed in the exact diagonalization studies on small clusters up to 32 sites.
We investigate the dynamical spin and charge correlation functions, $S(\mathrm{Q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ and $N(\mathrm{Q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$, for the two-dimensional (2D) $t\ensuremath{-}J$ model by using the exact diagonalization technique. Both quantities are compared with the 1D $t\ensuremath{-}J$ model. At high electron density (
n>0.7), a remarkable feature emerges: $S(\mathrm{Q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ shows a pronounced peak at low energy of order
J which is consistent with
2kF low-energy excitations, whereas low-energy
2kF-backscattering processes are strongly suppressed in the charge-density response. $N(\mathrm{Q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ consists of a dense and broad continuum, qualitatively different from the 1D charge response, implying strong interactions between charge and spin degrees of freedom.
The density response function $N(\mathrm{q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ of the two-dimensional $t\ensuremath{-}J$ model is studied starting from a mixed-gauge formulation of the slave-boson approach. Our results for $N(\mathrm{q}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ are in remarkable agreement with exact diagonalization studies, and provide a natural explanation of the anomalous features in the density response in terms of the spin-polaron nature of the charge carriers. In particular, we have identified unexplained low-energy structures in the diagonalization data as arising from the coherent polaron motion of holes in a spin liquid.
We study the t-J and the Hubbard models at zero temperature using exact-diagonalization techniques on \ensuremath{\surd}10 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} \ensuremath{\surd}10 and 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4 sites clusters. Quantum Monte Carlo simulation results on larger lattices are also presented. All electronic fillings have been analyzed for the three models. We have measured equal-time correlation functions corresponding to various types of order (ranging from ``standard'' staggered spin order to more ``exotic'' possibilities like chiral order), as well as various dynamical properties of these models. Upper bounds for the critical hole doping (
xc), where long-range antiferromagnetic order disappears, are presented. It was found that
xc is very small in agreement with experiments for the high-
Tc superconductors. For example, in the t-J model, ${\mathit{x}}_{\mathit{c}}$0.08 at J/t=0.4. However, short-distance spin correlations are important up to much higher dopings producing a sharp well-defined spin-wave-like peak in S(q=(\ensuremath{\pi},\ensuremath{\pi}),\ensuremath{\omega}). Regarding the possibility of phase separation in the Hubbard model, we have studied the behavior of the density of particles, 〈n〉, as a function of the chemical potential, using the Lanczos method on a 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4 Hubbard cluster, finding no indications of phase separation for any value of U/t. Then, we conclude that the t-J model at small J/t should not phase separate.In order to compare theoretical predictions with photoemission experiments, we evaluated the electronic density of states N(\ensuremath{\omega}), of the Hubbard and t-J models at several doping fractions. We found that upon doping the antiferromagnetic gap is filled for U\ensuremath{\sim}8t or smaller. The chemical potential moves across the insulating gap as one goes from electron to hole doping of the half-filled cluster, in agreement with x-ray absorption experiments but at variance with photoemission experiments. We have also calculated the optical conductivity, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{1}$(\ensuremath{\omega}), of the Hubbard and t-J models at all dopings on 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}4 clusters. Results are compared with experiments and the weight of the Drude peak is presented as a function of couplings and dopings. Spectral weight found at small frequencies is associated with the mid-infrared band observed experimentally in ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$
SrxCuO4, and with the states filling the insulating gap in photoemission experiments. An overall good agreement with experiments in the normal state was found. Regarding the possibility of superconductivity n these models, we have studied s-, d-, and p-wave pairing correlations. Naively, the d-wave channel seems enhanced near half filling while the extended s-wave channel seems enhanced from half filling up to 40% doping.However, we found that the enhancement comes from short-distance effects and, thus, no numerical indications of superconductivity were found in these models. We emphasize the importance of analyzing the pairing correlations as a function of distance to distinguish between short- and long-distance effects in the susceptibilities. We also observed that spiral order is enhanced at small J/t and low doping. Uniform chiral rder is suppressed by dynamical holes while staggered chiral order may be enhanced, although with a small plaquette order parameter. We conclude with the observation that the simple one-band Hubbard model with intermediate values of U\ensuremath{\sim}8t may account for many of the ``anomalous'' properties of the normal state of the high-
Tc superconductors.
We present results of a systematic quantum Monte Carlo study for the single-band Hubbard model. Thereby we evaluated single-particle spectra (PES and IPES), two-particle spectra (spin and density correlation functions), and the dynamical correlation function of suitably defined diagnostic operators, all as a function of temperature and hole doping. The results allow us to identify different physical regimes. Near half-filling we find an anomalous ``Hubbard-I phase,'' where the band structure is, up to some minor modifications, consistent with the Hubbard-I predictions. At lower temperatures, where the spin response becomes sharp, additional dispersionless ``bands'' emerge due to the dressing of electrons/holes with spin excitations. We present a simple phenomenological fit that reproduces the band structure of the insulator quantitatively. The Fermi surface volume in the low-doping phase, as derived from the single-particle spectral function, is not consistent with the Luttinger theorem, but qualitatively in agreement with the predictions of the Hubbard-I approximation. The anomalous phase extends up to a hole concentration of $\ensuremath{\approx}15%,$ i.e., the underdoped region in the phase diagram of high-
Tc superconductors. We also investigate the nature of the magnetic ordering transition in the single-particle spectra. We show that the transition to a spin-density wave-like band structure is not accomplished by the formation of any resolvable ``precursor bands,'' but rather by a (spectroscopically invisible) band of spin-3/2 quasiparticles. We discuss implications for the ``remnant Fermi surface'' in insulating cuprate compounds and the shadow bands in the doped materials.