Probing Pseudogap by Josephson Tunneling

We propose here an experiment aimed to determine whether there are superconducting pairing fluctuations in the pseudogap regime of the high-$T_c$ materials. In the experimental setup, two samples above $T_c$ are brought into contact at a single point and the differential AC conductivity in the presence of a constant applied bias voltage between the samples, $V$, should be measured. We argue the the pairing fluctuations will produce randomly fluctuating Josephson current with zero mean, however the current-current correlator will have a characteristic frequency given by Josephson frequency $\omega_J = 2 e V /\hbar$. We predict that the differential AC conductivity should have a peak at the Josephson frequency with the width determined by the phase fluctuations time.Comment: 4 pages, 2 eps figure

Localized charged states and phase separation near second order phase transition

Localized charged states and phase segregation are described in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory of phase transitions. The Coulomb interactions determines the charge distribution and the characteristic length of the phase separated states. The phase separation with charge segregation becomes possible because of the large dielectric constant and the small density of extra charge in the range of charge localization. The phase diagram is calculated and the energy gain of the phase separated state is estimated. The role of the Coulomb interaction is elucidated

Band-Insulator-Metal-Mott-Insulator transition in the half--filled t−t′t-t^{\prime} ionic-Hubbard chain

We investigate the ground state phase diagram of the half-filled $t-t^{\prime}$ repulsive Hubbard model in the presence of a staggered ionic potential $\Delta$, using the continuum-limit bosonization approach. We find, that with increasing on-site-repulsion $U$, depending on the value of the next-nearest-hopping amplitude $t^{\prime}$, the model shows three different versions of the ground state phase diagram. For $t^{\prime} < t^{\prime}_{\ast}$, the ground state phase diagram consists of the following three insulating phases: Band-Insulator at $U<U_{c}$, Ferroelectric Insulator at $U_{c} U_{c}$. For $t^{\prime} > t^{\prime}_{c}$ there is only one transition from a spin gapped metallic phase at $U U_{c}$. Finally, for intermediate values of the next-nearest-hopping amplitude $t^{\prime}_{\ast} < t^{\prime} < t^{\prime}_{c}$ we find that with increasing on-site repulsion, at $U_{c1}$ the model undergoes a second-order commensurate-incommensurate type transition from a band insulator into a metallic state and at larger $U_{c2}$ there is a Kosterlitz-Thouless type transition from a metal into a ferroelectric insulator.Comment: 9 pages 3 figure

Temperature dependent BCS equations with continuum coupling

The temperature dependent BCS equations are modified in order to include the contribution of the continuum single particle states. The influence of the continuum upon the critical temperature corresponding to the phase transition from a superfluid to a normal state and upon the behaviour of the excitation energy and of the entropy is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Overscreened multi-channel SU(N) Kondo model : large-N solution and Conformal Field Theory

The multichannel Kondo model with SU(N) spin symmetry and SU(K) channel symmetry is considered. The impurity spin is chosen to transform as an antisymmetric representation of SU(N), corresponding to a fixed number of Abrikosov fermions $\sum_{\alpha}f_{\alpha}^{\dagger}f_{\alpha}=Q$. For more than one channel (K>1), and all values of N and Q, the model displays non-Fermi behaviour associated with the overscreening of the impurity spin. Universal low-temperature thermodynamic and transport properties of this non-Fermi liquid state are computed using conformal field theory methods. A large-N limit of the model is then considered, in which K/N and Q/N are held fixed. Spectral densities satisfy coupled integral equations in this limit, corresponding to a (time-dependent) saddle-point. A low frequency, low-temperature analysis of these equations reveals universal scaling properties in the variable $\omega/T$, also predicted from conformal invariance. The universal scaling form is obtained analytically and used to compute the low-temperature universal properties of the model in the large-N limit, such as the T=0 residual entropy and residual resistivity, and the critical exponents associated with the specific heat and susceptibility. The connections with the ``non-crossing approximation'' and the previous work of Cox and Ruckenstein are discussed.Comment: 39 pages, RevTeX, including 5 figures in encapsulated postscript forma

Ordering of localized moments in Kondo lattice models

We describe the transition from a ferromagnetic phase, to a disordered para- magnetic phase, which occurs in one-dimensional Kondo lattice models with partial conduction band filling. The transition is the quantum order-disorder transition of the transverse-field Ising chain, and reflects double-exchange ordered regions of localized spins being gradually destroyed as the coupling to the conduction electrons is reduced. For incommensurate conduction band filling, the low-energy properties of the localized spins near the transition are dominated by anomalous ordered (disordered) regions of localized spins which survive into the paramagnetic (ferromagnetic) phase. Many interesting properties follow, including a diverging susceptibility for a finite range of couplings into the paramagnetic phase. Our critical line equation, together with numerically determined transition points, are used to determine the range of the double-exchange interaction. Models we consider are the spin 1/2 Kondo lattices with antiferromagnetic (Kondo) coupling, with ferromagnetic (Hund's rule) coupling, and the Kondo lattice with repulsive interactions between the conduction electrons.Comment: 18 pages, 6 embedded eps figures. To appear in Phys Rev

Luther-Emery Stripes, RVB Spin Liquid Background and High Tc Superconductivity

The stripe phase in high Tc cuprates is modeled as a single stripe coupled to the RVB spin liquid background by the single particle hopping process. In normal state, the strong pairing correlation inherent in RVB state is thus transfered into the Luttinger stripe and drives it toward spin-gap formation described by Luther-Emery Model. The establishment of global phase coherence in superconducting state contributes to a more relevant coupling to Luther-Emery Stripe and leads to gap opening in both spin and charge sectors. Physical consequences of the present picture are discussed, and emphasis is put on the unification of different energy scales relevant to cuprates, and good agreement is found with the available experimental results, especially in ARPES.Comment: 4 pages, RevTe

Pairing and Density Correlations of Stripe Electrons in a Two-Dimensional Antiferromagnet

We study a one-dimensional electron liquid embedded in a 2D antiferromagnetic insulator, and coupled to it via a weak antiferromagnetic spin exchange interaction. We argue that this model may qualitatively capture the physics of a single charge stripe in the cuprates on length- and time scales shorter than those set by its fluctuation dynamics. Using a local mean-field approach we identify the low-energy effective theory that describes the electronic spin sector of the stripe as that of a sine-Gordon model. We determine its phases via a perturbative renormalization group analysis. For realistic values of the model parameters we obtain a phase characterized by enhanced spin density and composite charge density wave correlations, coexisting with subleading triplet and composite singlet pairing correlations. This result is shown to be independent of the spatial orientation of the stripe on the square lattice. Slow transverse fluctuations of the stripes tend to suppress the density correlations, thus promoting the pairing instabilities. The largest amplitudes for the composite instabilities appear when the stripe forms an antiphase domain wall in the antiferromagnet. For twisted spin alignments the amplitudes decrease and leave room for a new type of composite pairing correlation, breaking parity but preserving time reversal symmetry.Comment: Revtex, 28 pages incl. 5 figure

QED3 theory of pairing pseudogap in cuprates: From d-wave superconductor to antiferromagnet via "algebraic" Fermi liquid

High-$T_c$ cuprates differ from conventional superconductors in three crucial aspects: the superconducting state descends from a strongly correlated Mott-Hubbard insulator, the order parameter exhibits d-wave symmetry and superconducting fluctuations play an all important role. We formulate a theory of the pseudogap state in the cuprates by taking the advantage of these unusual features. The effective low energy theory within the pseudogap phase is shown to be equivalent to the (anisotropic) quantum electrodynamics in (2+1) space-time dimensions (QED$_3$). The role of Dirac fermions is played by the nodal BdG quasiparticles while the massless gauge field arises through unbinding of quantum vortex-antivortex degrees of freedom. A detailed derivation of this QED$_3$ theory is given and some of its main physical consequences are inferred for the pseudogap state. We focus on the properties of symmetric QED$_3$ and propose that inside the pairing protectorate it assumes the role reminiscent of that played by the Fermi liquid theory in conventional metals.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figures; replaced with revised versio

Charge gap in the one--dimensional dimerized Hubbard model at quarter-filling

We propose a quantitative estimate of the charge gap that opens in the one-dimensional dimerized Hubbard model at quarter-filling due to dimerization, which makes the system effectively half--filled, and to repulsion, which induces umklapp scattering processes. Our estimate is expected to be valid for any value of the repulsion and of the parameter describing the dimerization. It is based on analytical results obtained in various limits (weak coupling, strong coupling, large dimerization) and on numerical results obtained by exact diagonalization of small clusters. We consider two models of dimerization: alternating hopping integrals and alternating on--site energies. The former should be appropriate for the Bechgaard salts, the latter for compounds where the stacks are made of alternating $TMTSF$ and $TMTTF$ molecules. % $(TMTSF)_2 X$ and $(TMTTF)_2 X$ ($X$ denotes $ClO_4$, $PF_6$, $Br$...).Comment: 33 pages, RevTeX 3.0, figures on reques