One-Dimensional Multi-Band Correlated Conductors and Anderson Impurity Physics

A single Anderson impurity model recently predicted, through its unstable fixed point, the phase diagram of a two band model correlated conductor, well confirmed by Dynamical Mean Field Theory in infinite dimensions. We study here the one dimensional version of the same model and extract its phase diagram in this opposite limit of reduced dimensionality. As expected for one dimension, the Mott metal-insulator transition at half filling is replaced by a dimerized insulator-undimerized Mott insulator transition, while away from half filling the strongly correlated superconductivity for inverted Hund's rule exchange in infinite dimensions is replaced by dominant pairing fluctuations. Many other aspects of the one dimensional system, in particular the field theories and their symmetries are remarkably the same as those of the Anderson impurity, whose importance appears enhanced.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

My friend Alex M\"uller

Alex, the main discoverer of high Tc superconductivity, was also a dear friend. Here I offer a few frank anecdotes, possibly inaccurate in some details but heartfelt and accurate in the substance, as a personal tribute to our friendship.Comment: To appear on Physica C Superconductivity -- K. Alex M\"uller memorial issu

Interacting hard-core bosons and surface preroughening

The theory of the preroughening transition of an unreconstructed surface, and the ensuing disordered flat (DOF) phase, is formulated in terms of interacting steps. Finite terraces play a crucial role in the formulation. We start by mapping the statistical mechanics of interacting (up and down) steps onto the quantum mechanics of two species of one-dimensional hard-core bosons. The effect of finite terraces translates into a number-non-conserving term in the boson Hamiltonian, which does not allow a description in terms of fermions, but leads to a two-chain spin problem. The Heisenberg spin-1 chain is recovered as a special limiting case. The global phase diagram is rich. We find the DOF phase is stabilized by short-range repulsions of like steps. On-site repulsion of up-down steps is essential in producing a DOF phase, whereas an off-site attraction between them is favorable but not required. Step-step correlation functions and terrace width distributions can be directly calculated with this method.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures, to appear on Phys. Rev.