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

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

Exact Bond Ordered Ground State for the Transition Between the Band and the Mott Insulator

We derive an effective Hamiltonian $H_{eff}$ for an ionic Hubbard chain, valid for $t\ll U,\Delta$, where $t$ is the hopping, $U$ the Coulomb repulsion, and $\Delta$ the charge transfer energy. $H_{eff}$ is the minimal model for describing the transition from the band insulator (BI) ($\Delta -U\gg t$) and the Mott insulator (MI) ($U-\Delta \gg t$). Using spin-particle transformations (Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{86}, 1082 (2001)), we map $H_{eff}(U=\Delta)$ into an SU(3) antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model whose exact ground state is known. In this way, we show rigorously that a spontaneously dimerized insulating ferroelectric phase appears in the transition region between the BI and MI

Stripe orientation in an anisotropic t-J model

The tilt pattern of the CuO_6 octahedra in the LTT phase of the cuprate superconductors leads to planar anisotropies for the exchange coupling and hopping integrals. Here, we show that these anisotropies provide a possible structural mechanism for the orientation of stripes. A t_x-t_y-J_x-J_y model thus serves as an effective Hamiltonian to describe stripe formation and orientation in LTT-phase cuprates.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Can Short-Range Interactions Mediate a Bose Metal Phase in 2D?

We show here based on a 1-loop scaling analysis that short-range interactions are strongly irrelevant perturbations near the insulator-superconductor (IST) quantum critical point. The lack of any proof that short-range interactions mediate physics which is present only in strong coupling leads us to conclude that short-range interactions are strictly irrelevant near the IST quantum critical point. Hence, we argue that no new physics, such as the formation of a uniform Bose metal phase can arise from an interplay between on-site and nearest-neighbour interactions.Comment: 3 pages, 1 .eps file. SUbmitted to Phys. Rev.

A Consistent Picture of Electronic Raman Scattering and Infrared Conductivity in the Cuprates

Calculations are presented for electronic Raman scattering and infrared conductivity in a $d_{x^{2}-y^{2}}$ superconductor including the effects of elastic scattering via anisotropic impurities and inelastic spin-fluctuation scattering. A consistent description of experiments on optimally doped Bi-2212 is made possible by considering the effects of correlations on both inelastic and elastic scattering.Comment: 4 pages Revtex, 5 embedded eps file

Disorder Induced Stripes in d-Wave Superconductors

Stripe phases are observed experimentally in several copper-based high-Tc superconductors near 1/8 hole doping. However, the specific characteristics may vary depending on the degree of dopant disorder and the presence or absence of a low- temperature tetragonal phase. On the basis of a Hartree-Fock decoupling scheme for the t-J model we discuss the diverse behavior of stripe phases. In particular the effect of inhomogeneities is investigated in two distinctly different parameter regimes which are characterized by the strength of the interaction. We observe that small concen- trations of impurities or vortices pin the unidirectional density waves, and dopant disorder is capable to stabilize a stripe phase in parameter regimes where homogeneous phases are typically favored in clean systems. The momentum-space results exhibit universal features for all coexisting density-wave solutions, nearly unchanged even in strongly disordered systems. These coexisting solutions feature generically a full energy gap and a particle-hole asymmetry in the density of states.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figure