Incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations in the two-dimensional Hubbard model

Commensurate and incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations in the two-dimensional repulsive t-t'-Hubbard model are investigated using functional renormalization group equations. For a sufficient deviation from half filling we establish the existence of local incommensurate order below a pseudocritical temperature T_{pc}. Fluctuations not accounted for in the mean field approximation are important--they lower T_{pc} by a factor \approx2.5.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, some changes due to referees' comments, equivalent to published versio

Fermionic functional renormalization group for first-order phase transitions: a mean-field model

First-order phase transitions in many-fermion systems are not detected in the susceptibility analysis of common renormalization-group (RG) approaches. Here we introduce a counterterm technique within the functional renormalization-group (fRG) formalism which allows access to all stable and metastable configurations. It becomes possible to study symmetry-broken states which occur through first-order transitions as well as hysteresis phenomena. For continuous transitions, the standard results are reproduced. As an example, we study discrete-symmetry breaking in a mean-field model for a commensurate charge-density wave. An additional benefit of the approach is that away from the critical temperature for the breaking of discrete symmetries large interactions can be avoided at all RG scales.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures. v2 corrects typos, adds references and a discussion of the literatur