370 research outputs found
Mean field approach to antiferromagnetic domains in the doped Hubbard model
We present a restricted path integral approach to the 2D and 3D repulsive
Hubbard model. In this approach the partition function is approximated by
restricting the summation over all states to a (small) subclass which is chosen
such as to well represent the important states. This procedure generalizes mean
field theory and can be systematically improved by including more states or
fluctuations. We analyze in detail the simplest of these approximations which
corresponds to summing over states with local antiferromagnetic (AF) order. If
in the states considered the AF order changes sufficiently little in space and
time, the path integral becomes a finite dimensional integral for which the
saddle point evaluation is exact. This leads to generalized mean field
equations allowing for the possibility of more than one relevant saddle points.
In a big parameter regime (both in temperature and filling), we find that this
integral has {\em two} relevant saddle points, one corresponding to finite AF
order and the other without. These degenerate saddle points describe a phase of
AF ordered fermions coexisting with free, metallic fermions. We argue that this
mixed phase is a simple mean field description of a variety of possible
inhomogeneous states, appropriate on length scales where these states appear
homogeneous. We sketch systematic refinements of this approximation which can
give more detailed descriptions of the system.Comment: 14 pages RevTex, 6 postscript figures included using eps
Stripes, Pseudogaps, and Van Hove Nesting in the Three-band tJ Model
Slave boson calculations have been carried out in the three-band tJ model for
the high-T_c cuprates, with the inclusion of coupling to oxygen breathing mode
phonons. Phonon-induced Van Hove nesting leads to a phase separation between a
hole-doped domain and a (magnetic) domain near half filling, with long-range
Coulomb forces limiting the separation to a nanoscopic scale. Strong
correlation effects pin the Fermi level close to, but not precisely at the Van
Hove singularity (VHS), which can enhance the tendency to phase separation. The
resulting dispersions have been calculated, both in the uniform phases and in
the phase separated regime. In the latter case, distinctly different
dispersions are found for large, random domains and for regular (static)
striped arrays, and a hypothetical form is presented for dynamic striped
arrays. The doping dependence of the latter is found to provide an excellent
description of photoemission and thermodynamic experiments on pseudogap
formation in underdoped cuprates. In particular, the multiplicity of observed
gaps is explained as a combination of flux phase plus charge density wave (CDW)
gaps along with a superconducting gap. The largest gap is associated with VHS
nesting. The apparent smooth evolution of this gap with doping masks a
crossover from CDW-like effects near optimal doping to magnetic effects (flux
phase) near half filling. A crossover from large Fermi surface to hole pockets
with increased underdoping is found. In the weakly overdoped regime, the CDW
undergoes a quantum phase transition (), which could be obscured
by phase separation.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 18 PS figures Corrects a sign error: major changes,
esp. in Sect. 3, Figs 1-4,6 replace
Honeybees balance essential fatty acids and suffer cognitively from deficiency
Abstract Background and aims. Epidemiological data on autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are scarce. In this study, we determined the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of AIH patients in the Netherlands (16.7 million inhabitants). Methods. Clinical characteristics were collected from 1313 AIH patients (78% females) from 31 centers, including all eight academic centers in the Netherlands. Additional data on ethnicity, family history and symptoms were obtained by the use of a questionnaire. Results. The prevalence of AIH was 18.3 (95% confidential interval [CI]: 17.3-19.4) per 100,000 with an annual incidence of 1.1 (95% CI: 0.5-2) in adults. An incidence peak was found in middle-aged women. At diagnosis, 56% of patients had fibrosis and 12% cirrhosis in liver biopsy. Overall, 1% of patients developed HCC and 3% of patients underwent liver transplantation. Overlap with primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis was found in 9% and 6%, respectively. The clinical course did not differ between Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients. Other autoimmune diseases were found in 26% of patients. Half of the patients reported persistent AIH-related symptoms despite treatment with a median treatment period of 8 years (range 1-44 years). Familial occurrence was reported in three cases. Conclusion. This is the largest epidemiological study of AIH in a geographically defined region and demonstrates that the prevalence of AIH in the Netherlands is uncommon. Although familial occurrence of AIH is extremely rare, our twin data may point towards a genetic predisposition. The high percentage of patients with cirrhosis or fibrosis at diagnosis urges the need of more awareness for AIH
- …