Understanding high-Tc cuprates based on the phase string theory of doped antiferromagnet

We present a self-consistent RVB theory which unifies the metallic (superconducting) phase with the half-filling antiferromagnetic (AF) phase. Two crucial factors in this theory include the RVB condensation which controls short-range AF spin correlations and the phase string effect introduced by hole hopping as a key doping effect. We discuss both the uniform and non-uniform mean-field solutions and show the unique features of the characteristic spin energy scale, superconducting transition temperature, and the phase diagram, which are all consistent with the experimental measurements of high-$T_c$ cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, 4 embeded eps figures, minor typos are corrected, to appear in the proceedings of M2S-HTSC-VI conferenc

Levitation of quantum Hall critical states in a lattice model with spatially correlated disorder

The fate of the current carrying states of a quantum Hall system is considered in the situation when the disorder strength is increased and the transition from the quantum Hall liquid to the Hall insulator takes place. We investigate a two-dimensional lattice model with spatially correlated disorder potentials and calculate the density of states and the localization length either by using a recursive Green function method or by direct diagonalization in connection with the procedure of level statistics. From the knowledge of the energy and disorder dependence of the localization length and the density of states (DOS) of the corresponding Landau bands, the movement of the current carrying states in the disorder--energy and disorder--filling-factor plane can be traced by tuning the disorder strength. We show results for all sub-bands, particularly the traces of the Chern and anti-Chern states as well as the peak positions of the DOS. For small disorder strength $W$ we recover the well known weak levitation of the critical states, but we also reveal, for larger $W$, the strong levitation of these states across the Landau gaps without merging. We find the behavior to be similar for exponentially, Gaussian, and Lorentzian correlated disorder potentials. Our study resolves the discrepancies of previously published work in demonstrating the conflicting results to be only special cases of a general lattice model with spatially correlated disorder potentials. To test whether the mixing between consecutive Landau bands is the origin of the observed floating, we truncate the Hilbert space of our model Hamiltonian and calculate the behavior of the current carrying states under these restricted conditions.Comment: 10 pages, incl. 13 figures, accepted for publication in PR

Quantifying the levitation picture of extended states in lattice models

The behavior of extended states is quantitatively analyzed for two dimensional lattice models. A levitation picture is established for both white-noise and correlated disorder potentials. In a continuum limit window of the lattice models we find simple quantitative expressions for the extended states levitation, suggesting an underlying universal behavior. On the other hand, these results point out that the Quantum Hall phase diagrams may be disorder dependent.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR

Spin-charge separation in the single hole doped Mott antiferromagnet

The motion of a single hole in a Mott antiferromagnet is investigated based on the t-J model. An exact expression of the energy spectrum is obtained, in which the irreparable phase string effect [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 5102 (1996)] is explicitly present. By identifying the phase string effect with spin backflow, we point out that spin-charge separation must exist in such a system: the doped hole has to decay into a neutral spinon and a spinless holon, together with the phase string. We show that while the spinon remains coherent, the holon motion is deterred by the phase string, resulting in its localization in space. We calculate the electron spectral function which explains the line shape of the spectral function as well as the ``quasiparticle'' spectrum observed in angle-resolved photoemission experiments. Other analytic and numerical approaches are discussed based on the present framework.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures; references updated; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Nondissipative Drag Conductance as a Topological Quantum Number

We show in this paper that the boundary condition averaged nondissipative drag conductance of two coupled mesoscopic rings with no tunneling, evaluated in a particular many-particle eigenstate, is a topological invariant characterized by a Chern integer. Physical implications of this observation are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, no figure. Title modified and significant revision made to the text. Final version appeared in PR

Fredholm Indices and the Phase Diagram of Quantum Hall Systems

The quantized Hall conductance in a plateau is related to the index of a Fredholm operator. In this paper we describe the generic ``phase diagram'' of Fredholm indices associated with bounded and Toeplitz operators. We discuss the possible relevance of our results to the phase diagram of disordered integer quantum Hall systems.Comment: 25 pages, including 7 embedded figures. The mathematical content of this paper is similar to our previous paper math-ph/0003003, but the physical analysis is ne

Fate of the extended states in a vanishing magnetic field: the role of spins in strongly-interacting 2D electron systems

In non-interacting or weakly-interacting 2D electron systems, the energy of the extended states increases as the perpendicular magnetic field approaches zero: the extended states "float up" in energy, giving rise to an insulator. However, in those 2D systems where metallic conductivity has been recently observed in zero magnetic field, the energy of the extended states remains constant or even decreases as B -> 0, thus allowing conduction in the limit of zero temperature. Here we show that aligning the electrons' spins causes the extended states to once more "float up" in energy in the vanishing perpendicular magnetic field, as they do for non- or weakly-interacting electrons. The difference between extended states that float up (an insulator) or remain finite (a metal) is thus tied to the existence of the spins

Magnetization and Level Statistics at Quantum Hall Liquid-Insulator Transition in the Lattice Model

Statistics of level spacing and magnetization are studied for the phase diagram of the integer quantum Hall effect in a 2D finite lattice model with Anderson disorder.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Thermodynamics Inducing Massive Particles' Tunneling and Cosmic Censorship

By calculating the change of entropy, we prove that the first law of black hole thermodynamics leads to the tunneling probability of massive particles through the horizon, including the tunneling probability of massive charged particles from the Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole and the Kerr-Newman black hole. Novelly, we find the trajectories of massive particles are close to that of massless particles near the horizon, although the trajectories of massive charged particles may be affected by electromagnetic forces. We show that Hawking radiation as massive particles tunneling does not lead to violation of the weak cosmic-censorship conjecture

Crossing w=-1 in Gauss-Bonnet Brane World with Induced Gravity

Recent type Ia supernovas data seemingly favor a dark energy model whose equation of state $w(z)$ crosses -1 very recently, which is a much more amazing problem than the acceleration of the universe. In this paper we show that it is possible to realize such a crossing without introducing any phantom component in a Gauss-Bonnet brane world with induced gravity, where a four dimensional curvature scalar on the brane and a five dimensional Gauss-Bonnet term in the bulk are present. In this realization, the Gauss-Bonnet term and the mass parameter in the bulk play a crucial role.Comment: Revtex 16 pages including 10 eps files, references added, to appear in Comm. Theor. Phy