Systematic analysis of a spin-susceptibility representation of the pairing interaction in the 2D Hubbard model

A dynamic cluster quantum Monte Carlo algorithm is used to study a spin susceptibility representation of the pairing interaction for the two-dimensional Hubbard model with an on-site Coulomb interaction equal to the bandwidth for various doping levels. We find that the pairing interaction is well approximated by {3/2}\Ub(T)^2\chi(K-K') with an effective temperature and doping dependent coupling \Ub(T) and the numerically calculated spin susceptibility $\chi(K-K')$. We show that at low temperatures, \Ub may be accurately determined from a corresponding spin susceptibility based calculation of the single-particle self-energy. We conclude that the strength of the d-wave pairing interaction, characterized by the mean-field transition temperature, can be determined from a knowledge of the dressed spin susceptibility and the nodal quasiparticle spectral weight. This has important implications with respect to the questions of whether spin fluctuations are responsible for pairing in the high-T$_c$ cuprates.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Low-energy moments of non-diagonal quark current correlators at four loops

We compute the leading four physical terms in the low-energy expansions of heavy-light quark current correlators at four-loop order. As a by-product we reproduce the corresponding top-induced non-singlet correction to the electroweak rho parameter.Comment: 13 pages, no figures. Extended discussion and added reference

Plasmonics: Localization and guiding of electromagnetic energy in metal/dielectric structures

We review the basic physics of surface-plasmon excitations occurring at metal/dielectric interfaces with special emphasis on the possibility of using such excitations for the localization of electromagnetic energy in one, two, and three dimensions, in a context of applications in sensing and waveguiding for functional photonic devices. Localized plasmon resonances occurring in metallic nanoparticles are discussed both for single particles and particle ensembles, focusing on the generation of confined light fields enabling enhancement of Raman-scattering and nonlinear processes. We then survey the basic properties of interface plasmons propagating along flat boundaries of thin metallic films, with applications for waveguiding along patterned films, stripes, and nanowires. Interactions between plasmonic structures and optically active media are also discussed

Renormalization group flow for fermions into antiferromagnetically ordered phases: Method and mean-field models

We present a functional renormalization group flow for many-fermion lattice models into phases with broken spin-rotational symmetry. The flow is expressed purely in terms of fermionic vertex functions. The symmetry breaking is seeded by a small initial anomalous self-energy which grows at the transition scale and which prevents a runaway-flow at nonzero scales. Focusing on the case of commensurate antiferromagnetism we discuss how the interaction vertex can be parametrized efficiently. For reduced models with long-range bare interactions we show the results of standard mean-field theory are reproduced by the fRG and how anisotropies in the spin sector change the flows. We then describe a more efficient decomposition of the interaction vertex that should allow for the treatment of more general models.Comment: revised version; 12 pages, 9 figure

Universality in antiferromagnetic strange metals

We propose a theory of metals at the spin-density wave quantum critical point in spatial dimension $d=2$. We provide a first estimate of the full set of critical exponents (dynamical exponent $z=2.13$, correlation length $\nu =1.02$, spin susceptibility $\gamma = 0.96$, electronic non-Fermi liquid $\eta^f_\tau = 0.53$, spin-wave Landau damping $\eta^b_\tau = 1.06$), which determine the universal power-laws in thermodynamics and response functions in the quantum-critical regime relevant for experiments in heavy-fermion systems and iron pnictides. We present approximate numerical and analytical solutions of Polchinski-Wetterich type flow equations with soft frequency regulators for an effective action of electrons coupled to spin-wave bosons. Performing the renormalization group in frequency -instead of momentum- space allows to track changes of the Fermi surface shape and to capture Landau damping during the flow. The technique is easily generalizable from models retaining only patches of the Fermi surface to full, compact Fermi surfaces.Comment: 46 pages, 13 figures, typos fixed; as accepted to Physical Review

Microscopic Inhomogeneity and Superconducting Properties of a Two-dimensional Hubbard Model for High-TcT_c Cuprate

Recent scanning tunneling microscopy measurements on cuprate superconductors have revealed remarkable spatial inhomogeneities in the single-particle energy gap. Using cellular dynamical mean-field theory, we study the zero temperature superconducting properties of a single-band Hubbard model with a spatial modulation of the electron density. We find that the inhomogeneity in the electronic structure results in a substantial spatial variation in the superconducting order parameter and single-particle energy gap, reminiscent of the experimental results. In particular, we find that the order parameter and gap amplitudes in the hole-rich regions are significantly enhanced over the corresponding quantities in a uniform system, if the hole-rich regions are embedded in regions with smaller hole density.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, and 2 table

Enhanced Superconductivity in Superlattices of High-TcT_c Cuprates

The electronic properties of multilayers of strongly correlated models for cuprate superconductors are investigated using cluster dynamical mean-field techniques. We focus on combinations of underdoped and overdoped layers and find that the superconducting order parameter in the overdoped layers is enhanced by the proximity effect of the strong pairing scale originating from the underdoped layers. The enhanced order parameter can even exceed the maximum value in uniform systems. This behavior is well reproduced in slave-boson mean-field calculations which also find higher transition temperatures than in the uniform system.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure