Ground-state energy and Wigner crystallization in thick 2D-electron systems

The ground state energy of the 2-D Wigner crystal is determined as a function of the thickness of the electron layer and the crystal structure. The method of evaluating the exchange-correlation energy is tested using known results for the infinitely-thin 2D system. Two methods, one based on the local-density approximation(LDA), and another based on the constant-density approximation (CDA) are established by comparing with quantum Monte-Carlo (QMC) results. The LDA and CDA estimates for the Wigner transition of the perfect 2D fluid are at $r_s=38$ and 32 respectively, compared with $r_s=35\pm5$ from QMC. For thick-2D layers as found in Hetero-junction-insulated-gate field-effect transistors, the LDA and CDA predictions of the Wigner transition are at $r_s=20.5$ and 15.5 respectively. Impurity effects are not considered here.Comment: Last figure and Table are modified in the revised version. Conclusions regarding the Wigner transition in thick layers are modified in the revised version. Latex manuscript, four figure

Effective vanishing order of the Levi determinant

On a smooth domain in complex n space of finite D'Angelo q-type at a point, an effective upper bound for the vanishing order of the Levi determinant \text{coeff}\{\partial r \wedge \dbar r \wedge (\partial \dbar r)^{n-q}\} at that point is given in terms of the D'Angelo q-type, the dimension of the space n, and q itself. The argument uses Catlin's notion of a boundary system as well as techniques pioneered by John D'Angelo.Comment: 22 pages; typos in example from p.20 fixed in the second versio

The Decay Properties of the Finite Temperature Density Matrix in Metals

Using ordinary Fourier analysis, the asymptotic decay behavior of the density matrix F(r,r') is derived for the case of a metal at a finite electronic temperature. An oscillatory behavior which is damped exponentially with increasing distance between r and r' is found. The decay rate is not only determined by the electronic temperature, but also by the Fermi energy. The theoretical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations

Band mass anisotropy and the intrinsic metric of fractional quantum Hall systems

It was recently pointed out that topological liquid phases arising in the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) are not required to be rotationally invariant, as most variational wavefunctions proposed to date have been. Instead, they possess a geometric degree of freedom corresponding to a shear deformation that acts like an intrinsic metric. We apply this idea to a system with an anisotropic band mass, as is intrinsically the case in many-valley semiconductors such as AlAs and Si, or in isotropic systems like GaAs in the presence of a tilted magnetic field, which breaks the rotational invariance. We perform exact diagonalization calculations with periodic boundary conditions (torus geometry) for various filling fractions in the lowest, first and second Landau levels. In the lowest Landau level, we demonstrate that FQHE states generally survive the breakdown of rotational invariance by moderate values of the band mass anisotropy. At 1/3 filling, we generate a variational family of Laughlin wavefunctions parametrized by the metric degree of freedom. We show that the intrinsic metric of the Laughlin state adjusts as the band mass anisotropy or the dielectric tensor are varied, while the phase remains robust. In the n=1 Landau level, mass anisotropy drives transitions between incompressible liquids and compressible states with charge density wave ordering. In n>=2 Landau levels, mass anisotropy selects and enhances stripe ordering with compatible wave vectors at partial 1/3 and 1/2 fillings.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Aharonov-Bohm oscillations of a particle coupled to dissipative environments

The amplitude of the Bohm-Aharonov oscillations of a particle moving around a ring threaded by a magnetic flux and coupled to different dissipative environments is studied. The decay of the oscillations when increasing the radius of the ring is shown to depend on the spatial features of the coupling. When the environment is modelled by the Caldeira-Leggett bath of oscillators, or the particle is coupled by the Coulomb potential to a dirty electron gas, interference effects are suppressed beyond a finite length, even at zero temperature. A finite renormalization of the Aharonov-Bohm oscillations is found for other models of the environment.Comment: 6 page

Spin-Charge separation in a model of two coupled chains

A model of interacting electrons living on two chains coupled by a transverse hopping $t_\perp$, is solved exactly by bosonization technique. It is shown that $t_\perp$ does modify the shape of the Fermi surface also in presence of interaction, although charge and spin excitations keep different velocities $u_\rho$, $u_\sigma$. Two different regimes occur: at short distances, $x\ll \xi = (u_\rho - u_\sigma)/4t_\perp$, the two chain model is not sensitive to $t_\perp$, while for larger separation $x\gg \xi$ inter--chain hopping is relevant and generates further singularities in the electron Green function besides those due to spin-charge decoupling. (2 figures not included. Figure requests: FABRIZIO@ITSSISSA)Comment: 12 pages, LATEX(REVTEX), SISSA 150/92/CM/M

Intrinsic frustration effects in anisotropic superconductors

Lattice distortions in which the axes are locally rotated provide an intrinsic source of frustration in anisotropic superconductors. A general framework to study this effect is presented. The influence of lattice defects and phonons in $d$ and $s+d$ layered superconductors is studied.Comment: enlarged versio

New scenario for high-T_c cuprates: electronic topological transition as a motor for anomalies in the underdoped regime

We have discovered a new nontrivial aspect of electronic topological transition (ETT) in a 2D free fermion system on a square lattice. The corresponding exotic quantum critical point, \delta=\delta_c, T=0, (n=1-\delta is an electron concentration) is at the origin of anomalous behaviour in the interacting system on one side of ETT, \delta<\delta_c. The most important is an appearance of the line of characteristic temperatures, T^*(\delta) \propto \delta_c-\delta. Application of the theory to high-T_c cuprates reveals a striking similarity to the observed experimentally behaviour in the underdoped regime (NMR and ARPES).Comment: 4 pages, RevTeX, 5 EPS figures included, to be published in Physical Review Letters vol 82, March 15, 199

Insulator-Metal Transition in the One and Two-Dimensional Hubbard Models

We use Quantum Monte Carlo methods to determine $T=0$ Green functions, $G(\vec{r}, \omega)$, on lattices up to $16 \times 16$ for the 2D Hubbard model at $U/t =4$. For chemical potentials, $\mu$, within the Hubbard gap, $|\mu | < \mu_c$, and at {\it long} distances, $\vec{r}$, $G(\vec{r}, \omega = \mu) \sim e^{ -|\vec{r}|/\xi_l}$ with critical behavior: $\xi_l \sim | \mu - \mu_c |^{-\nu}$, $\nu = 0.26 \pm 0.05$. This result stands in agreement with the assumption of hyperscaling with correlation exponent $\nu = 1/4$ and dynamical exponent $z = 4$. In contrast, the generic band insulator as well as the metal-insulator transition in the 1D Hubbard model are characterized by $\nu = 1/2$ and $z = 2$.Comment: 9 pages (latex) and 5 postscript figures. Submitted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Singular Structure and Enhanced Friedel Oscillations in the Two-Dimensional Electron Gas

We calculate the leading order corrections (in $r_s$) to the static polarization $\Pi^{*}(q,0,)$, with dynamically screened interactions, for the two-dimensional electron gas. The corresponding diagrams all exhibit singular logarithmic behavior in their derivatives at $q=2 k_F$ and provide significant enhancement to the proper polarization particularly at low densities. At a density of $r_s=3$, the contribution from the leading order {\em fluctuational} diagrams exceeds both the zeroth order (Lindhard) response and the self-energy and exchange contributions. We comment on the importance of these diagrams in two-dimensions and make comparisons to an equivalent three-dimensional electron gas; we also consider the impact these finding have on $\Pi^{*}(q,0)$ computed to all orders in perturbation theory