Conductance as a Function of the Temperature in the Double Exchange Model

We have used the Kubo formula to calculate the temperature dependence of the electrical conductance of the double exchange Hamiltonian. We average the conductance over an statistical ensemble of clusters, which are obtained by performing Monte Carlo simulations on the classical spin orientation of the double exchange Hamiltonian. We find that for electron concentrations bigger than 0.1, the system is metallic at all temperatures. In particular it is not observed any change in the temperature dependence of the resistivity near the magnetical critical temperature. The calculated resistivity near $T_c$ is around ten times smaller than the experimental value. We conclude that the double exchange model is not able to explain the metal to insulator transition which experimentally occurs at temperatures near the magnetic critical temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures included in the tex

Kondo lattice model: Unitary transformations, spin dynamics, strongly correlated charged modes, and vacuum instability

Using unitary transformations, we express the Kondo lattice Hamiltonian in terms of fermionic operators that annihilate the ground state of the interacting system and that represent the best possible approximations to the actual charged excitations. In this way, we obtain an effective Hamiltonian which, for small couplings, consists in a kinetic term for conduction electrons and holes, an RKKY-like term, and a renormalized Kondo interaction. The physical picture of the system implied by this formalism is that of a vacuum state consisting in a background of RKKY-induced spin correlations, where two kinds of elementary modes can be excited: Soft neutral modes associated with deformations of the spin liquid, which lead to very large low-temperature values of the heat capacity and magnetic susceptibility, and charged modes corresponding to the excitation of electrons and holes in the system. Using the translational and spin rotational symmetries, we construct a simple ansatz to determine the charged excitations neglecting the effects of the spin correlations. Apart from the `normal', uncorrelated states, we find strongly correlated charged modes involving soft electrons (or holes) and spin fluctuations, which strongly renormalize the low-energy charged spectrum, and whose energy becomes negative beyond a critical coupling, signaling a vacuum instability and a transition to a new phase.Comment: 35 pages, revtex 3.

Orbital Polarons in the Metal-Insulator Transition of Manganites

The metal-insulator transition in manganites is strongly influenced by the concentration of holes present in the system. Based upon an orbitally degenerate Mott-Hubbard model we analyze two possible localization scenarios to account for this doping dependence: First, we rule out that the transition is initiated by a disorder-order crossover in the orbital sector, showing that its effect on charge mobility is only small. Second, we introduce the idea of orbital polarons originating from a strong polarization of orbitals in the vicinity of holes. Considering this direct coupling between charge and orbital degree of freedom in addition to lattice effects we are able to explain well the phase diagram of manganites for low and intermediate hole concentrations

Magnetic Coherence in Cuprate Superconductors

Recent inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments on La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ observed a {\it magnetic coherence effect}, i.e., strong frequency and momentum dependent changes of the spin susceptibility, $\chi''$, in the superconducting phase. We show that this effect is a direct consequence of changes in the damping of incommensurate antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations due to the appearance of a d-wave gap in the fermionic spectrum. Our theoretical results provide a quantitative explanation for the weak momentum dependence of the observed spin-gap. Moreover, we predict {\bf (a)} a Fermi surface in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ which is closed around $(\pi,\pi)$ up to optimal doping, and {\bf (b)} similar changes in $\chi''$ for all cuprates with an incommensurate magnetic response.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Fig.3 is in colo

Big, Fast Vortices in the d-RVB theory of High Temperature Superconductivity

The effect of proximity to a Mott insulating phase on the superflow properties of a d-wave superconductor is studied using the slave boson-U(1) gauge theory model. The model has two limits corresponding to superconductivity emerging either out of a 'renormalized fermi liquid' or out of a non-fermi-liquid regime. Three crucial physical parameters are identified: the size of the vortex \textit{as determined from the supercurrent it induces;} the coupling of the superflow to the quasiparticles and the 'nondissipative time derivative' term. As the Mott phase is approached, the core size as defined from the supercurrent diverges, the coupling between superflow and quasiparticles vanishes, and the magnitude of the nondissipative time derivative dramatically increases. The dissipation due to a moving vortex is found to vary as the third power of the doping. The upper critical field and the size of the critical regime in which paraconductivity may be observed are estimated, and found to be controlled by the supercurrent length scale

Quantum Disordered Regime and Spin Gap in the Cuprate Superconductors

We discuss the crossover from the quantum critical, $z\!=\!1$, to the quantum disordered regime in high-T$_c$ materials in relation to the experimental data on the nuclear relaxation, bulk susceptibility, and inelastic neutron scattering. In our scenario, the spin excitations develop a gap $\Delta\!\sim\!1/\xi$ well above T$_c$, which is supplemented by the quasiparticle gap below T$_c$. The above experiments yield consistent estimates for the value of the spin gap, which increases as the correlation length decreases.Comment: 14 pages, REVTeX v3.0, PostScript file for 3 figures is attached, UIUC-P-93-07-06

Small Fermi surface in the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model

We study the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model through the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG). Our results for the spin correlation function indicate the presence of a small Fermi surface in large portions of the phase diagram, in contrast to some previous studies that used the same technique. We argue that the discrepancy is due to the open boundary conditions, which introduce strong charge perturbations that strongly affect the spin Friedel oscillations.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure

Charge order and low frequency spin dynamics in lanthanum cuprates revealed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

We report detailed 17O, 139La, and 63Cu Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) measurements in a stripe ordered La1.875Ba0.125CuO4 single crystal and in oriented powder samples of La1.8-xEu0.2SrxCuO4. We observe a partial wipeout of the 17O NMR intensity and a simultaneous drop of the 17O electric field gradient (EFG) at low temperatures where the spin stripe order sets in. In contrast, the 63Cu intensity is completely wiped out at the same temperature. The drop of the 17O quadrupole frequency is compatible with a charge stripe order. The 17O spin lattice relaxation rate shows a peak similar to that of the 139La, which is of magnetic origin. This peak is doping dependent and is maximal at x ~ 1/8.Comment: submitted to European Physical Journal Special Topic

Average Lattice Symmetry and Nanoscale Structural Correlations in Magnetoresistive Manganites

We report x-ray scattering studies of nanoscale structural correlations in the paramagnetic phases of the perovskite manganites La$_{0.75}$(Ca$_{0.45}$Sr$_{0.55}$)$_{0.25}$MnO$_3$, La$_{0.625}$Sr$_{0.375}$MnO$_3$, and Nd$_{0.45}$Sr$_{0.55}$MnO$_3$. We find that these correlations are present in the orthorhombic $O$ phase in La$_{0.75}$(Ca$_{0.45}$Sr$_{0.55}$)$_{0.25}$MnO$_3$, but they disappear abruptly at the orthorhombic-to-rhombohedral transition in this compound. The orthorhombic phase exhibits increased electrical resistivity and reduced ferromagnetic coupling, in agreement with the association of the nanoscale correlations with insulating regions. In contrast, the correlations were not detected in the two other compounds, which exhibit rhombohedral and tetragonal phases. Based on these results, as well as on previously published work, we propose that the local structure of the paramagnetic phase correlates strongly with the average lattice symmetry, and that the nanoscale correlations are an important factor distinguishing the insulating and the metallic phases in these compounds.Comment: a note on recent experimental work, and a new reference adde

On the effects of the magnetic field and the isotopic substitution upon the infrared absorption of manganites

Employing a variational approach that takes into account electron-phonon and magnetic interactions in $La_{1-x}A_xMnO_3$ perovskites with $0<x<0.5$, the effects of the magnetic field and the oxygen isotope substitution on the phase diagram, the electron-phonon correlation function and the infrared absorption at $x=0.3$ are studied. The lattice displacements show a strong correlation with the conductivity and the magnetic properties of the system. Then the conductivity spectra are characterized by a marked sensitivity to the external parameters near the phase boundary.Comment: 10 figure