Falicov-Kimball model and the problem of electronic ferroelectricity

The density matrix renormalization group method is used to examine possibilities of electronic ferroelectricity in the spinless Falicov-Kimball model. The model is studied for a wide range of parameters including weak and strong interactions as well as the symmetric and unsymmetric case. In all examined cases the $$-expectation value vanishes for vanishing hybridization $V$, indicating that the spinless Falicov-Kimball model does not allow for a ferroelectric ground state with a spontaneous polarization.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, LaTe

Photoluminescence signature of skyrmions at \nu = 1

The photoluminescence spectrum of quantized Hall states near filling factor \nu = 1 is investigated theoretically. For \nu >= 1 the spectrum consists of a right-circularly polarized (RCP) line and a left-circularly polarized (LCP) line, whose mean energy: (1) does not depend on the electron g factor for spin-1/2 quasielectrons, (2) does depend on g for charged spin-texture excitations (skyrmions). For \nu < 1 the spectrum consists of a LCP line shifted down in energy from the LCP line at \nu >= 1. The g-factor dependence of the red shift of the LCP line determines the nature of the negatively charged excitations.Comment: 11 pages, 2 PostScript figures. Replaced with version to appear in Physical Review B Rapid Communications. Minor changes, reference adde

Orthogonality catastrophe in a composite fermion liquid

We discuss the emergence of an orthogonality catastrophe in the response of a composite fermion liquid as the filling factor \nu approaches 1/2m, where m=1,2,3.... A tunneling experiment is proposed in which dramatic changes in the I-V characteristic should be observable as \nu is varied. Explicit I-V characteristics calculated within the so-called Modified Random Phase Approximation, are provided for \nu=1/3 -> \nu=1/2.Comment: Latex two-column 6 pages including 5 figure

Kondo Insulator: p-wave Bose Condensate of Excitons

In the Anderson lattice model for a mixed-valent system, the $d-f$ hybridization can possess a $p$-wave symmetry. The strongly-correlated insulating phase in the mean-field approximation is shown to be a $p$-wave Bose condensate of excitons with a spontaneous lattice deformation. We study the equilibrium and linear response properties across the insulator-metal transition. Our theory supports the empirical correlation between the lattice deformation and the magnetic susceptibility and predicts measurable ultrasonic and high-frequency phonon behavior in mixed-valent semiconductors.Comment: 5 pages, 3 encapsulated PostScript figure

Spectral functions of the Falicov-Kimball model with electronic ferroelectricity

We calculate the angular resolved photoemission spectrum of the Falicov-Kimball model with electronic ferroelectricity where $d$- and $f$-electrons have different hoppings. In mix-valence regimes, the presence of strong scattering processes between $d$-$f$ excitons and a hole, created by emission of an electron, leads to the formation of pseudospin polarons and novel electronic structures with bandwidth scaling with that of $d$-$f$ excitons. Especially, in the two-dimensional case, we find that flat regions exist near the bottom of the quasiparticle band in a wide range of the $d$- and $f$-level energy difference.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Influence of Hybridization on the Properties of the Spinless Falicov-Kimball Model

Without a hybridization between the localized f- and the conduction (c-) electron states the spinless Falicov-Kimball model (FKM) is exactly solvable in the limit of high spatial dimension, as first shown by Brandt and Mielsch. Here I show that at least for sufficiently small c-f-interaction this exact inhomogeneous ground state is also obtained in Hartree-Fock approximation. With hybridization the model is no longer exactly solvable, but the approximation yields that the inhomogeneous charge-density wave (CDW) ground state remains stable also for finite hybridization V smaller than a critical hybridization V_c, above which no inhomogeneous CDW solution but only a homogeneous solution is obtained. The spinless FKM does not allow for a ''ferroelectric'' ground state with a spontaneous polarization, i.e. there is no nonvanishing $$-expectation value in the limit of vanishing hybridization.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Optics with Quantum Hall Skyrmions

A novel type of charged excitation, known as a Skyrmion, has recently been discovered in quantum Hall systems with filling factor near \nu = 1. A Skyrmion -- which can be thought of as a topological twist in the spin density of the electron gas -- has the same charge as an electron, but a much larger spin. In this review we present a detailed theoretical investigation of the optical properties of Skyrmions. Our results provide means for the optical detection of Skyrmions using photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. We first consider the optical properties of Skyrmions in disordered systems. A calculation of the luminescence energy reveals a special optical signature which allows us to distinguish between Skyrmions and ordinary electrons. Two experiments to measure the optical signature are proposed. We then turn to the optical properties of Skyrmions in pure systems. We show that, just like an ordinary electron, a Skyrmion may bind with a hole to form a Skyrmionic exciton. The Skyrmionic exciton can have a lower energy than the ordinary magnetoexciton. The optical signature of Skyrmions is found to be a robust feature of the PL spectrum in both disordered and pure systems.Comment: 31 pages, LaTex, 11 eps figures. ijmpb style file included. Review article submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.

Skyrmionic excitons

We investigate the properties of a Skyrmionic exciton consisting of a negatively charged Skyrmion bound to a mobile valence hole. A variational wave function is constructed which has the generalized total momentum P as a good quantum number. It is shown that the Skyrmionic exciton can have a larger binding energy than an ordinary magnetoexciton and should therefore dominate the photoluminescence spectrum in high-mobility quantum wells and heterojunctions where the electron-hole separation exceeds a critical value. The dispersion relation for the Skyrmionic exciton is discussed.Comment: 9 pages, RevTex, 2 PostScript figures. Replaced with version to appear in Phys. Rev. B Rapid Communications. Short discussion of variational state adde

Linear and nonlinear optical characteristics of the Falicov-Kimball model

We calculate the linear and nonlinear optical properties of the Falicov-Kimball model for a mixed-valent system within the self-consistent mean-field approximation. Second-harmonic generation can only occur if the mixed-valent state has a built-in coherence between the itinerant d-electrons and the localized f-holes. By contrast, second-harmonic generation cannot occur for solutions of the model with f-site occupation as a good quantum number. As an experimental test of coherence in mixed-valent compounds we propose a measurement of the dynamic second-order susceptibility.Comment: 4 pages, 2 PostScript figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Theory of Electronic Ferroelectricity

We present a theory of the linear and nonlinear optical characteristics of the insulating phase of the Falicov-Kimball model within the self-consistent mean-field approximation. The Coulomb attraction between the itinerant d-electrons and the localized f-holes gives rise to a built-in coherence between the d and f-states, which breaks the inversion symmetry of the underlying crystal, leading to: (1) electronic ferroelectricity, (2) ferroelectric resonance, and (3) a nonvanishing susceptibility for second-harmonic generation. As experimental tests of such a built-in coherence in mixed-valent compounds we propose measurements of the static dielectric constant, the microwave absorption spectrum, and the dynamic second-order susceptibility.Comment: 15 pages, 5 PostScript figures, submitted to Physical Review