Robust D-wave Pairing Correlations in a Hole-Doped Spin-Fermion Model for Cuprates

Pairing Correlations are studied numerically in the hole-doped spin-fermion model for cuprates. Simulations performed on up to 12x12 clusters provide robust indications of D-wave superconductivity away from half-filling. The pairing correlations are the strongest in the direction perpendicular to the dynamic stripe-like inhomogeneities that appear in the ground state at some densities. An optimal doping, where the correlations reach a maximum value, was observed at about 25% doping, in qualitative agreement with hight T_{c} cuprates' experiments. On the other hand, pairing correlations are suppressed by static stripe inhomogeneities.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Superconducting Puddles and "Colossal'' Effects in Underdoped Cuprates

Phenomenological models for the antiferromagnetic (AF) vs. d-wave superconductivity competition in cuprates are studied using conventional Monte Carlo techniques. The analysis suggests that cuprates may show a variety of different behaviors in the very underdoped regime: local coexistence or first-order transitions among the competing orders, stripes, or glassy states with nanoscale superconducting (SC) puddles. The transition from AF to SC does not seem universal. In particular, the glassy state leads to the possibility of "colossal'' effects in some cuprates, analog of those in manganites. Under suitable conditions, non-superconducting Cu-oxides could rapidly become superconducting by the influence of weak perturbations that align the randomly oriented phases of the SC puddles in the mixed state. Consequences of these ideas for thin-film and photoemission experiments are discussed.Comment: RevTeX 4, revised expanded version, 8 pages, 8 figure

Hole Pockets in the Doped 2D Hubbard Model

The electronic momentum distribution ${\rm n({\bf k})}$ of the two dimensional Hubbard model is studied for different values of the coupling ${\rm U/t}$, electronic density ${\rm \langle n \rangle}$, and temperature, using quantum Monte Carlo techniques. A detailed analysis of the data on $8\times 8$ clusters shows that features consistent with hole pockets at momenta ${\rm {\bf k}=(\pm {\pi\over{2}},\pm {\pi\over{2}})}$ appear as the system is doped away from half-filling. Our results are consistent with recent experimental data for the cuprates discussed by Aebi et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 72}, 2757 (1994)). In the range of couplings studied, the depth of the pockets is maximum at ${\rm \langle n \rangle \approx 0.9}$, and it increases with decreasing temperature. The apparent absence of hole pockets in previous numerical studies of this model is explained.Comment: 11 pages, 4 postscript figures appended, RevTeX (version 3.0

Critical behavior of the S=3/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chain

Using the density-matrix renormalization-group technique we study the long-wavelength properties of the spin S=3/2 nearest-neighbor Heisenberg chain. We obtain an accurate value for the spin velocity v=3.8+- 0.02, in agreement with experiment. Our results show conclusively that the model belongs to the same universality class as the S=1/2 Heisenberg chain, with a conformal central charge c=1 and critical exponent eta=1Comment: RevTeX (version 3.0), 4 twocolumn pages with 4 embedded figure