Dynamic spin fluctuations and the bag mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity

Long-Lived Higgs Modes in Strongly Correlated Condensates

We investigate order parameter fluctuations in the Hubbard model within a time-dependent Gutzwiller approach. While in the weak coupling limit we find that the amplitude fluctuations are short-lived due to a degeneracy with the energy of the edge of the quasiparticle continua (and in agreement with Hartree-Fock+RPA theory), these are shifted below the edge upon increasing the interaction. Our calculations therefore predict undamped amplitude (Higgs) oscillations of the order parameter in strongly coupled superconductors, cold atomic fermion condensates, and strongly interacting charge- and spin-density wave systems. We propose an experimental realization for the detection of the spin-type Higgs mode in undoped cuprates and related materials where, due to the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction, it can couple to an out-of-plane ferromagnetic excitation that is visible via the Faraday effect.

Charge filling induced quasi-two dimensional charge/spin density wave channel in a ballistic transport device

Charge filling controlled mean field metal-insulator phase transition is examined in the context of two dimensional Fermi surface nesting and van Hove singularity induced charge density wave (CDW), spin density wave (SDW) condensates. In the framework of a coherent ballistic transport model utilizing the Non-Equilibrium Green Function approach (NEGF), a three terminal device with metallic gate, source, drain and CDW/SDW channel is simulated and studied. Within the validity of mean field approximation, we exposit the commensurability and boundary effects. The efficacy of the Hubbard model for (quasi) two dimensional Charge and Spin Density Wave materials is discussed. A two orbital generalization of the effective Hamiltonian is proposed for transport calculations in rare earth TelluridesRTe₃.

Approaching the isotropic spin-ladder regime: structure and magnetism of all-pyrazine-bridged copper(II)-based antiferromagnetic ladders

The crystal structure and magnetic properties of two all-pyrazine-bridged antiferromagnetic spin ladders are reported. The complexes, catena-(bis(3-X-4-pyridone)(μ-pyrazine)copper(II)(-μ-pyrazine)diperchlorate ([Cu(pz)_1.5(L)₂](ClO₄)₂ where L = 3-X-4-pyridone and X = Br (1) or Cl (2)), contain copper(II)-based ladders in which both the rung and rail bridges are pyrazine molecules bonded through the x²-y² orbital of the copper(II) ions. This structural scaffold is proposed to approach the isotropic spin-ladder regime. 1 and 2 crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c. Due to the bulk of the 3-X-4-HOpy ligands, the ladders are well isolated in the a-direction (1, 15.6 Å; 2, 15.5 Å). The ladders, which run in the b-direction, are stacked in the c-direction with the separation (1, 7.87 Å; 2, 7.82 Å) between copper(II) ions caused by the bulk of a semi-coordinate perchlorate ion coordinated in the axial position. Computational evaluation of magnetic J_AB couplings between Cu-moieties of 2 supports the experimentally proposed magnetic topology and agrees with an isolated isotropic spin-ladder (J_rail = -4.04 cm^-1 (-5.77 K) and J_rung = -3.89 cm^-1 (-5.56 K)). These complexes introduce a convenient scaffold for synthesizing isotropic spin-ladders with modest superexchange interactions, the strength of which may be tuned by variations in L. The magnetic susceptibility down to 1.8 K, for both compounds, is well described by the strong-rung ladder model giving nearly isotropic exchange with J_rung ≈ J_rail ≈ -5.5 K (1) and -5.9 K (2) using the Hamiltonian. Theoretical simulations of the magnetic response of 2 using the isotropic ladder model are in excellent agreement with experiment. The measured magnetization to 5 T indicates a quantum-dominated magnetic spectrum. Again, calculated lower and saturation (4.3 and 24 T, respectively) critical fields for 2 are consistent with experimental measurements, and magnetization data at very low temperatures indeed suggest the presence of quantum effects. Further, the computational study of short- and long-range spin ordering indicates that a 2D-to-3D crossover might be feasible at lower temperatures. Analysis of the Boltzmann population corroborates the presence of accessible triplet states above the singlet ground state enabling the aforementioned 2D-to-3D crossover.

Microscopic evolution of doped Mott insulators from polaronic metal to Fermi liquid

[Figure: see text].

Thermal fluctuations in superconducting phases with chirald+ idandssymmetry on a triangular lattice

The behavior of thermal fluctuations of a superconducting order parameter with extendedsand chirald+ idsymmetry is investigated. The study is carried out on a triangular lattice within the framework of the quasi-two-dimensional single-band model with attraction between electrons at neighboring sites. The method of consistent consideration of the order parameter fluctuations and the charge carrier scattering by fluctuations of coupled electron pairs, based on the theory of functional integration is used. The distribution functions of the phase fluctuation probabilities depending on temperature and charge carrier concentration are obtained. The temperature dependences of the amplitudes of the averaged superconducting order parameter are calculated. A phase diagram of superconducting states is constructed for the entire range of variation in the charge carrier concentration 0 <n< 2. Near the boundaries of this range, topologically trivial superconducting states with extendedssymmetry are realized, while a superconducting state with topologically nontrivial chirald+ idsymmetry is realized between them. The calculated anomalous self-energies are compared with the experimental ones obtained using machine learning techniques.

Doping evolution of the magnetic excitations in the monolayer CuO2

In this paper, we study theoretically the doping evolution behaviors of the magnetic excitations (MEs) in the monolayer CuO2grown on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δsubstrate. For the undoped system, the MEs exhibit the low energy commensurate behavior around (π,π). They turn to be incommensurate when the system is slightly hole-doped. In the intermediate doping regime, the low energy MEs diminish gradually. They turn to be dominated by the high energy modes. With further doping, an exotic structure transition of the MEs occurs in the heavily hole-doped regime which is directly related to the Lifshitz transition. Distinct MEs are separated by the transition point around which the low energy MEs exhibit the ring-like structure around (0, 0). Before the transition, the MEs are dominated by the broad particle-hole continuum at very high energies. In contrast, across the transition point, two new low energy modes develop around (0, 0) and (π,π) attributing to the intrapocket and interpocket particle-hole scatterings, respectively.

Theory of angle-dependent marginal Fermi liquid self-energy and its existence at all dopings in cuprates

Various angle-dependent measurements in hole-doped cuprates suggested that non-Fermi liquid (NFL) and Fermi-liquid (FL) self-energies coexist in the Brillouin zone. Moreover, it is also found that NFL self-energies survive up to the overdoped region where the resistivity features a global FL-behavior. To address this problem, we compute the momentum dependent self-energy from a single band Hubbard model. The self-energy is calculated self-consistently by using a momentum-dependent density-fluctuation (MRDF) method. One of our main results is that the computed self-energy exhibits a marginal-FL (MFL)-like frequency dependence only in the antinodal region, and FL-like behavior elsewhere at all dopings. The MFL self-energy stems from the fluctuations between the itinerant and localized densities-a result that appears when self-energy is calculated self-consistently and features an intermediate coupling behavior of cuprates. We also calculate the DC conductivity by including the full momentum dependent self-energy. We find that the resistivity-temperature exponent n becomes 1 near the optimal doping, while the MFL self-energy occupies largest momentum-space volume. Surprisingly, even in the NFL state near the optimal doping, the nodal region contains FL-like self-energies; while in the under- and over-dopings ([Formula: see text]), the antinodal region remains NFL-like. These results highlight the non-local correlation physics in cuprates and in other similar intermediately correlated materials, where a direct link between the microscopic single-particle spectral properties and the macroscopic transport behavior can not be well established.

Fermi-Bose Mixtures and BCS-BEC Crossover in High-Tc Superconductors

In this review article we consider theoretically and give experimental support to the models of the Fermi-Bose mixtures and the BCS-BEC (Bardeen Cooper Schrieffer–Bose Einstein) crossover compared with the strong-coupling approach, which can serve as the cornerstones on the way from high-temperature to room-temperature superconductivity in pressurized metallic hydrides. We discuss some key theoretical ideas and mechanisms proposed for unconventional superconductors (cuprates, pnictides, chalcogenides, bismuthates, diborides, heavy-fermions, organics, bilayer graphene, twisted graphene, oxide hetero-structures), superfluids and balanced or imbalanced ultracold Fermi gases in magnetic traps. We build a bridge between unconventional superconductors and recently discovered pressurized hydrides superconductors H3S and LaH10 with the critical temperature close to room temperature. We discuss systems with a line of nodal Dirac points close to the Fermi surface and superconducting shape resonances, and hyperbolic superconducting networks which are very important for the development of novel topological superconductors, for the energetics, for the applications in nano-electronics and quantum computations.

Evidence of a Nodal Line in the Superconducting Gap Symmetry of Noncentrosymmetric ThCoC_{2}

The newly discovered noncentrosymmetric superconductor ThCoC_{2} exhibits numerous types of unconventional behavior in the field dependent heat capacity data. Here we present the first measurement of the gap symmetry of ThCoC_{2} by muon spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) measurements. The temperature dependence of the magnetic penetration depth measured using the transverse field μSR experiment reveals the evidence of a nodal pairing symmetry. To understand this finding, we carry out calculations of the superconducting pairing eigenvalue and eigenfunction (pairing symmetry) due to the spin-fluctuation mechanism by directly implementing the ab initio band structures. We find that the system possesses a single Fermi surface with considerable three dimensionality and a strong nesting along the k_{z} direction. Such nesting promotes a superconducting state with a cosk_{z}-like pairing symmetry with a prominent nodal line on the k_{z}=±π/2 plane. The result agrees well with the experimental data.

Cooper Pairing in A Doped 2D Antiferromagnet with Spin-Orbit Coupling

We study the two-dimensional Hubbard model with the Rashba type spin-orbit coupling within and beyond the mean-field theory. The antiferromagnetic ground state for the model at half-filling and the Cooper pairing induced by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations near half-filling are examined based on the random-phase approximation. We show that the antiferromagnetic order is suppressed and the magnetic susceptibility turns out to be anisotropic in the presence of the spin-orbit coupling. Energy spectrums of transverse spin fluctuations are obtained and the effective interactions between holes mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations are deduced in the case of low hole doping. It seems that the spin-orbit coupling tends to form s+p-wave Cooper pairs, while the s+d-wave pairing is dominant when the spin-orbit coupling is absent.

Magnetism in Na-filled Fe-based skutterudites

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. Here we investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe4Sb12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for a material near an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe4P12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe4Sb12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe4As12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form.

Commensurate magnetic excitations induced by band splitting and Fermi surface topology in n-type cuprates

The antiferromagnetic correlation plays an important role in high-Tc superconductors. Considering this effect, the magnetic excitations in n-type cuprates near the optimal doping are studied within the spin-density-wave description. The magnetic excitations are commensurate in the low-energy regime and further develop into spin-wave-like dispersion at higher energy, consistent with the inelastic neutron scattering measurements. We clearly demonstrate that the commensurability originates from the band splitting and Fermi surface topology. The commensurability is a normal state property and has nothing to do with d-wave superconductivity. Our results strongly suggest the essential role of antiferromagnetic correlations in the cuprates.

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering as a probe of the phase and excitations of the order parameter of superconductors

The capability to probe the dispersion of elementary spin, charge, orbital, and lattice excitations has positioned resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the forefront of photon science. Here we develop the scattering theory for RIXS on superconductors, calculating its momentum-dependent scattering amplitude. Considering superconductors with different pairing symmetries, we show that the low-energy scattering is strongly affected by the superconducting gap and coherence factors. This establishes RIXS as a tool to disentangle pairing symmetries and to probe the elementary excitations of unconventional superconductors.

Theory of multiband superconductivity in spin-density-wave metals

We study the emergence of multiband superconductivity with s- and d-wave symmetry on the background of a spin density wave (SDW). We show that the SDW coherence factors renormalize the momentum dependence of the superconducting (SC) gap, yielding a SC state with an unconventional s-wave symmetry. Interband Cooper pair scattering stabilizes superconductivity in both symmetries. With increasing SDW order, the s-wave state is more strongly suppressed than the d-wave state. Our results are universally applicable to two-dimensional systems with a commensurate SDW.

Fermions in 2D optical lattices: temperature and entropy scales for observing antiferromagnetism and superfluidity

One of the major challenges in realizing antiferromagnetic and superfluid phases in optical lattices is the ability to cool fermions. We determine constraints on the entropy for observing these phases in two-dimensional Hubbard models using determinantal quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We find that an entropy per particle approximately = ln2 is sufficient to observe the insulating gap in the repulsive Hubbard model at half-filling, or the pairing pseudogap in the attractive case. Observing antiferromagnetic correlations or superfluidity in 2D systems requires a further reduction in entropy by a factor of 3 or more. In contrast with higher dimensions, we find that adiabatic cooling is not useful to achieve the required low temperatures. We also show that double-occupancy measurements are useful for thermometry for temperatures greater than the nearest-neighbor hopping energy.

Magnetic resonance in the spin excitation spectrum of electron-doped cuprate superconductors

We study the emergence of a magnetic resonance in the superconducting state of the electron-doped cuprate superconductors. We show that the recently observed resonance peak in the electron-doped superconductor Pr0.88LaCe0.12CuO4-delta is consistent with an overdamped spin exciton located near the particle-hole continuum. We present predictions for the magnetic-field dependence of the resonance mode as well as its temperature evolution in those parts of the phase diagram where dx2-y2-wave superconductivity may coexist with an antiferromagnetic spin-density wave.

Anomalous excitation spectra of frustrated quantum antiferromagnets

We use series expansions to study the excitation spectra of spin-1/2 antiferromagnets on anisotropic triangular lattices. For the isotropic triangular lattice model (TLM), the high-energy spectra show several anomalous features that differ strongly from linear spin-wave theory (LSWT). Even in the Néel phase, the deviations from LSWT increase sharply with frustration, leading to rotonlike minima at special wave vectors. We argue that these results can be interpreted naturally in a spinon language and provide an explanation for the previously observed anomalous finite-temperature properties of the TLM. In the coupled-chains limit, quantum renormalizations strongly enhance the one-dimensionality of the spectra, in agreement with experiments on Cs2CuCl4.

Ferromagnetic ordering in a new nickel polyborate NiB12O14(OH)10

A new nickel polyborate, NiB12O14(OH)10 was synthesized using boric acid as a flux. This material has two-dimensional borate layers with a quasi-square lattice of Ni2+. The Ni2+ ions locate in the plane of the two-dimensional layer, bridged through BnO(n+1) chains in the plane and connected with the three-membered ring borate groups out of the plane. The dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, magnetization and specific heat measurements show that this material undergoes a weak ferromagnetic phase transition at Tc = 5.8 K. At T < Tc, a metamagnetic phase transition is observed at about 5 T, associated by a spin-flop, suggesting the ferromagnetic ordering is induced by an antiferromagnetic interaction. A broad maximum in the ac susceptibility at TM = 23-24 K indicates an intermediate short-range ordering.

Novel neutron resonance mode in dx2-y2-wave superconductors

We show that a new resonant magnetic excitation at incommensurate momenta, observed recently by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on YBa2Cu3O6.85 and YBa2Cu3O6.6, is a spin exciton. Its location in the Brillouin zone and its frequency are determined by the momentum dependence of the particle-hole continuum. We identify several features that distinguish this novel mode from the previous resonance mode observed near Q=(pi,pi).

Fibrillar templates and soft phases in systems with short-range dipolar and long-range interactions

We analyze the thermal fluctuations of particles that have a short-range dipolar attraction and a long-range repulsion. In an inhomogeneous particle density region, or "soft phase," filamentary patterns appear which are destroyed only at very high temperatures. The filaments act as a fluctuating template for correlated percolation in which low-energy excitations can move through the stable pattern by local rearrangements. At intermediate temperatures, dynamically averaged checkerboard states appear. We discuss possible implications for doped cuprate oxides and related materials.

Single-particle spectrum in the electron-doped cuprates

We study the evolution of the single-particle spectrum with electron doping in a scheme which adds multiple exchange of transverse spin excitations to the mean-field antiferromagnetic insulator. Away from half-filling small Fermi surface pockets appear first around the X points, and simultaneously new spectral weight grows in the insulating gap. With further doping the in-gap states develop the character of a renormalized quasiparticle band near the chemical potential. The essential features in momentum-energy space agree well with recent studies using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on electron-doped cuprates. We interpret the origins and the nature of the in-gap states using a simple variational wave function.

Ferromagnetic superconductivity driven by changing Fermi surface topology

We introduce a simple but powerful zero temperature Stoner model to explain the unusual phase dia-gram of the ferromagnetic superconductor, UGe2. Triplet superconductivity is driven in the ferromagnetic phase by tuning the majority spin Fermi level through one of two peaks in the paramagnetic density of states (DOS). Each peak is associated with a metamagnetic jump in magnetization. The twin-peak DOS may be derived from a tight-binding, quasi-one-dimensional band structure, inspired by previous band-structure calculations.

Anomalous spin excitation spectrum of the Heisenberg model in a magnetic field

Making the assumption that high-energy fermions exist in the two dimensional spin- 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet, we present predictions based on the pi-flux ansatz for the dynamic structure factor when the antiferromagnet is subject to a uniform magnetic field. The main result is the presence of gapped excitations in a momentum region near (pi,pi) with energy lower than that at (pi,pi). This is qualitatively different from spin-wave theory predictions and may be tested by experiments or by quantum Monte Carlo.

Absence of a Slater transition in the two-dimensional Hubbard model

We present well-controlled results on the metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) within the paramagnetic solution of the dynamical cluster approximation in the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half filling. In the strong coupling regime, a local picture describes the properties of the model; there is a large charge gap Delta approximately U. In the weak-coupling regime, we find that a symbiosis of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations and moment formation cause a gap to open at finite temperature as in one dimension. Hence, this excludes the mechanism of the MIT proposed by Slater long ago.

Nature of spin excitations in two-dimensional mott insulators: undoped cuprates and other materials

We investigate the excitation spectrum of a two-dimensional resonating valence bond (RVB) state. Treating the pi-flux phase with antiferromagnetic correlations as a variational ground state, we recover the long wavelength magnon as an "RVB exciton." However, this excitation does not exhaust the entire spectral weight and the high-energy spectrum is dominated by fermionic excitations. The latter can be observed directly by inelastic neutron scattering, and we predict their characteristic energy scales along different high symmetry directions in the magnetic Brillouin zone. We also interpret experimental results on two magnon Raman scattering and midinfrared absorption within this scenario.

Interrelation of superconducting and antiferromagnetic gaps in high- T(c) compounds: A test case for the SO(5) theory

Recent angle resolved photoemission data, which found evidence for a d-wave-like modulation of the antiferromagnetic gap, suggest an intimate interrelation between the antiferromagnetic insulator and the superconductor with its d-wave gap. It is shown here that a projected SO(5) theory, which explicitly takes the Mott-Hubbard gap into account, correctly describes the observed gap characteristics. Specifically, it accounts for the order of magnitude difference between the antiferromagnetic gap modulation and the superconducting gap and is also consistent with the gap dispersion.

A Unified Theory Based on SO(5) Symmetry of Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetism

The complex phase diagram of high-critical temperature (Tc) superconductors can be deduced from an SO(5) symmetry principle that unifies antiferromagnetism and d-wave superconductivity. The approximate SO(5) symmetry has been derived from the microscopic Hamiltonian, and it becomes exact under renormalization group flow toward a bicritical point. This symmetry enables the construction of a SO(5) quantum nonlinear final sigma model that describes the phase diagram and the effective low-energy dynamics of the system. This model naturally explains the basic phenomenology of the high-Tc superconductors from the insulating to the underdoped and the optimally doped region.