Raman Scattering in Cuprate Superconductors

A theory for electronic Raman scattering in the cuprate superconductors is presented with a specific emphasis on the polarization dependence of the spectra which can infer the symmetry of the energy gap. Signatures of the effects of disorder on the low frequency and low temperature behavior of the Raman spectra for different symmetry channels provide detailed information about the magnitude and the phase of the energy gap. Properties of the theory for finite T are discussed and compared to recent data concerning the doping dependence of the Raman spectra in cuprate superconductors, and remaining questions are addressed.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures, style file include

Effects of spin fluctuations in the t-J model

Recent experiments on the Fermi surface and the electronic structure of the cuprate-supercondutors showed the importance of short range antiferromagnetic correlations for the physics in these systems. Theoretically, features like shadow bands were predicted and calculated mainly for the Hubbard model. In our approach we calculate an approximate selfenergy of the $t$-$J$ model. Solving the $U=\infty$ Hubbard model in the Dynamical Mean Field Theory (DMFT) yields a selfenergy that contains most of the local correlations as a starting point. Effects of the nearest neighbor spin interaction $J$ are then included in a heuristical manner. Formally like in $J$-perturbation theory all ring diagrams, with the single bubble assumed to be purely local, are summed to get a correction to the DMFT-self engergy This procedure causes new bands and can furnish strong deformation of quasiparticle bands. % Our results are finally compared with %former approaches to the Hubbard model.Comment: 3 Pages, Latex, 2 Postscript-Figures submitted to Physica

Supersolids in the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian

We use a combination of numeric and analytic techniques to determine the groun d state phase diagram of the Bose--Hubbard Hamiltonian with longer range repulsi ve interactions. At half filling one finds superfluidity and an insulating solid phase. Depending on the relative sizes of near--neighbor and next near--neighbor interactions, this solid either follows a checkerboard or a striped pattern. In neither case is there a coexistence with superfluidity. However upon doping ``supersolid'' phases appear with simultaneous diagonal and off--diagonal long range order.Comment: 11 pages, Revtex 3.0, 6 figures (upon request

Tunneling spectroscopy for probing orbital anisotropy in iron pnictides

Using realistic multi-orbital tight-binding Hamiltonians and the T-matrix formalism, we explore the effects of a non-magnetic impurity on the local density of states in Fe-based compounds. We show that scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) has very specific anisotropic signatures that track the evolution of orbital splitting (OS) and antiferromagnetic gaps. Both anisotropies exhibit two patterns that split in energy with decreasing temperature, but for OS these two patterns map onto each other under 90 degree rotation. STS experiments that observe these signatures should expose the underlying magnetic and orbital order as a function of temperature across various phase transitions.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, replacement with minor changes suggested by referee

Focussing quantum states

Does the size of atoms present a lower limit to the size of electronic structures that can be fabricated in solids? This limit can be overcome by using devices that exploit quantum mechanical scattering of electron waves at atoms arranged in focussing geometries on selected surfaces. Calculations reveal that features smaller than a hydrogen atom can be obtained. These structures are potentially useful for device applications and offer a route to the fabrication of ultrafine and well defined tips for scanning tunneling microscopy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Collective Spin Fluctuation Mode and Raman Scattering in Superconducting Cuprates

Although the low frequency electronic Raman response in the superconducting state of the cuprates can be largely understood in terms of a d-wave energy gap, a long standing problem has been an explanation for the spectra observed in the $A_{1g}$ polarization orientations. We present calculations which suggest that the peak position of the observed $A_{1g}$ spectra is due to a collective spin fluctuation mode.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figure

Shadow features and shadow bands in the paramagnetic state of cuprate superconductors

The conditions for the precursors of antiferromagnetic bands in cuprate superconductors are studied using weak-to-intermediate coupling approach. It is shown that there are, in fact, three different precursor effects due to the proximity to antiferromagnetic instability: i) the shadow band which associated with new pole in the Green's function ii) the dispersive shadow feature due to the thermal enhancement of the scattering rate and iii) the non-dispersive shadow feature due to quantum spin fluctuation that exist only in $\vec{k}-$scan of the spectral function $A(\omega _{Fixed},\vec{k})$. I found that dispersive shadow peaks in $A(\omega,\vec{k})$ can exist at finite temperature T in the renormalized classical regime, when $T\gg \omega _{sf}$, $\xi_{AFM} >\xi_{th}=v_F/T$ ($\omega _{sf}$ is the characteristic energy of spin fluctuations, $\xi_{th}$ is the thermal wave length of electron). In contrast at zero temperature, only non-dispersive shadow feature in $A(\omega_{Fixed},\vec{k})$ has been found. I found, however, that the latter effect is always very small. The theory predict no shadow effects in the optimally doped materials. The conditions for which shadow peaks can be observed in photoemission are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, REVTEX, 2 ps figures, version to be published in PR

Doping Evolution of Oxygen K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectra in Cuprate Superconductors

We study oxygen K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and investigate the validity of the Zhang-Rice singlet (ZRS) picture in overdoped cuprate superconductors. Using large-scale exact diagonalization of the three-orbital Hubbard model, we observe the effect of strong correlations manifesting in a dynamical spectral weight transfer from the upper Hubbard band to the ZRS band. The quantitative agreement between theory and experiment highlights an additional spectral weight reshuffling due to core-hole interaction. Our results confirm the important correlated nature of the cuprates and elucidate the changing orbital character of the low-energy quasi-particles, but also demonstrate the continued relevance of the ZRS even in the overdoped region.Comment: Original: 5 pages, 4 figures. Replaced: 6 pages and 4 figures, with updated title and conten

Detection of topological transitions by transport through molecules and nanodevices

We analyze the phase transitions of an interacting electronic system weakly coupled to free-electron leads by considering its zero-bias conductance. This is expressed in terms of two effective impurity models for the cases with and without spin degeneracy. We demonstrate using the half-filled ionic Hubbard ring that the weight of the first conductance peak as a function of external flux or of the difference in gate voltages between even and odd sites allows one to identify the topological charge transition between a correlated insulator and a band insulator.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let