Reply to the Comment by Sandvik, Sengupta, and Campbell on ``Ground State Phase Diagram of a Half-Filled One-Dimensional Extended Hubbard Model''

In their Comment (see cond-mat/0301237), Sandvik, Sengupta, and Campbell present some numerical evidences to support the existence of an extended bond-order-wave (BOW) phase at couplings (U,V) weaker than a tricritical point (U_t,V_t) in the ground state phase diagram of the one-dimensional half-filled U-V Hubbard model. They claim that their results do not agree with the phase diagram proposed in my Letter (cond-mat/0204244), which shows a BOW phase for couplings stronger than the critical point only. However, I argue here that their results are not conclusive and do not refute the phase diagram described in the Letter.Comment: 1 page, published versio

Optical conductivity of the one-dimensional dimerized Hubbard model at quarter filling

We investigate the optical conductivity in the Mott insulating phase of the one-dimensional extended Hubbard model with alternating hopping terms (dimerization) at quarter band filling. Optical spectra are calculated for the various parameter regimes using the dynamical density-matrix renormalization group method. The study of limiting cases allows us to explain the various structures found numerically in the optical conductivity of this model. Our calculations show that the dimerization and the nearest-neighbor repulsion determine the main features of the spectrum. The on-site repulsion plays only a secondary role. We discuss the consequences of our results for the theory of the optical conductivity in the Bechgaard salts.Comment: 11 pages and 12 figure

Correlations and confinement of excitations in an asymmetric Hubbard ladder

Correlation functions and low-energy excitations are investigated in the asymmetric two-leg ladder consisting of a Hubbard chain and a noninteracting tight-binding (Fermi) chain using the density matrix renormalization group method. The behavior of charge, spin and pairing correlations is discussed for the four phases found at half filling, namely, Luttinger liquid, Kondo-Mott insulator, spin-gapped Mott insulator and correlated band insulator. Quasi-long-range antiferromagnetic spin correlations are found in the Hubbard leg in the Luttinger liquid phase only. Pair-density-wave correlations are studied to understand the structure of bound pairs found in the Fermi leg of the spin-gapped Mott phase at half filling and at light doping but we find no enhanced pairing correlations. Low-energy excitations cause variations of spin and charge densities on both legs that demonstrate the confinement of the lowest charge excitations on the Fermi leg while the lowest spin excitations are localized on the Hubbard leg in the three insulating phases. The velocities of charge, spin, and single-particle excitations are investigated to clarify the confinement of elementary excitations in the Luttinger liquid phase. The observed spatial separation of elementary spin and charge excitations could facilitate the coexistence of different (quasi-)long-range orders in higher-dimensional extensions of the asymmetric Hubbard ladder