Luttinger liquids with boundaries: Power-laws and energy scales

We present a study of the one-particle spectral properties for a variety of models of Luttinger liquids with open boundaries. We first consider the Tomonaga-Luttinger model using bosonization. For weak interactions the boundary exponent of the power-law suppression of the spectral weight close to the chemical potential is dominated by a term linear in the interaction. This motivates us to study the spectral properties also within the Hartree-Fock approximation. It already gives power-law behavior and qualitative agreement with the exact spectral function. For the lattice model of spinless fermions and the Hubbard model we present numerically exact results obtained using the density-matrix renormalization-group algorithm. We show that many aspects of the behavior of the spectral function close to the boundary can again be understood within the Hartree-Fock approximation. For the repulsive Hubbard model with interaction U the spectral weight is enhanced in a large energy range around the chemical potential. At smaller energies a power-law suppression, as predicted by bosonization, sets in. We present an analytical discussion of the crossover and show that for small U it occurs at energies exponentially (in -1/U) close to the chemical potential, i.e. that bosonization only holds on exponentially small energy scales. We show that such a crossover can also be found in other models. Received 8 February 2000 and Received in final form 25 April 2000     

to -12pt [-12pt]to 16ptRapid Note Wavefunctions for the Luttinger liquid

Standard bosonization techniques lead to phonon-like excitations in a Luttinger liquid (LL), reflecting the absence of Landau quasiparticles in these systems. Yet in addition to the above excitations some LL are known to possess solitonic states carrying fractional quantum numbers (e.g. the spin 1/2 Heisenberg chain). We have reconsidered the zero modes in the low-energy spectrum of the Gaussian boson LL Hamiltonian both for fermionic and bosonic LL: in the spinless case we find that two elementary excitations carrying fractional quantum numbers allow to generate all the charge and current excited states of the LL. We explicitly compute the wavefunctions of these two objects and show that one of them can be identified with the 1D version of the Laughlin quasiparticle introduced in the context of the Fractional Quantum Hall effect. For bosons, the other quasiparticle corresponds to a spinon excitation. The eigenfunctions of Wen's chiral LL Hamiltonian are also derived: they are quite simply the one dimensional restrictions of the 2D bulk Laughlin wavefunctions. Received 26 January 1999 and Received in final form 21 April 1999     

Spin susceptibility of interacting electrons in one dimension: Luttinger liquid and lattice effects

The temperature-dependent uniform magnetic susceptibility of interacting electrons in one dimension is calculated using several methods. At low temperature, the renormalization group reveals that the Luttinger liquid spin susceptibility approaches zero temperature with an infinite slope in striking contrast with the Fermi liquid result and with the behavior of the compressibility in the absence of umklapp scattering. This effect comes from the leading marginally irrelevant operator, in analogy with the Heisenberg spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic chain. Comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations at higher temperature reveal that non-logarithmic terms are important in that regime. These contributions are evaluated from an effective interaction that includes the same set of diagrams as those that give the leading logarithmic terms in the renormalization group approach. Comments on the third law of thermodynamics as well as reasons for the failure of approaches that work in higher dimensions are given. Received 2 March 1999     

Damping of zero sound in Luttinger liquids

We calculate the damping γ_q of collective density oscillations (zero sound) in a one-dimensional Fermi gas with dimensionless forward scattering interaction F and quadratic energy dispersion k² / 2 m at zero temperature. Using standard many-body perturbation theory, we obtain γ_q from the expansion of the inverse irreducible polarization to first order in the effective screened (RPA) interaction. For wave-vectors | q| /k_F ≪F (where k_F = m v_F is the Fermi wave-vector) we find to leading order γ_q ∝| q |³ /(v_F m²). On the other hand, for F ≪| q| /k_F most of the spectral weight is carried by the particle-hole continuum, which is distributed over a frequency interval of the order of q²/m. We also show that zero sound damping leads to a finite maximum proportional to |k - k_F | ^{-2 + 2 η} of the charge peak in the single-particle spectral function, where η is the anomalous dimension. Our prediction agrees with photoemission data for the blue bronze K_0.3MoO₃. We comment on other recent calculations of γ_q.     

Charge localization in organic conductors (TM)X: The influence of anion ordering

An investigation of the different contributions leading to charge localization in a 1/2 or 1/4 filled band 1D conductor has been conducted through a study of transport properties in the solid solution [(TMTSF)_1-x (TMTTF) _x]₂ReO₄. The existence of an ordering transition of the anions allows to identify two contributions to the electronic potential with wave vector 4k_F. A dominant on-site 4k_F potential besides the bond contribution is revealed when Umklapp scattering is pertinent via the weakening of the localization arising at the (0, 1/2, 1/2) anion ordering which is stabilized under pressure in the compound [(TMTSF) _0.5 (TMTTF)_0.5]₂ReO₄ at variance with the enhancement of localization observed in the homomolecular (TMTTF)₂ReO ₄ material. Received: 13 May 1998 / Revised: 8 July 1998 / Accepted: 9 July 1998     

Single hole dynamics in the one-dimensional - model

We present a new finite-temperature quantum Monte Carlo algorithm to compute imaginary-time Green functions for a single hole in the t-J model on non-frustrated lattices. Spectral functions are obtained with the Maximum Entropy method. Simulations of the one-dimensional case show that a simple charge-spin separation Ansatz is able to describe the overall features of the spectral function such as the bandwidth and the compact support of the spectral function, over the whole energy range for values of J / t from 1/3 to 4. This is contrasted with the two-dimensional case. The quasiparticle weight Z_k is computed on lattices up to L =128 sites in one dimension, and scales as . Received 15 February 2000     

Tails of the dynamical structure factor of 1D spinless fermions beyond the Tomonaga approximation

We consider one-dimensional (1D) interacting spinless fermions with a non-linear spectrum in a clean quantum wire (non-linear bosonization). We compute diagrammatically the 1D dynamical structure factor, S(ω,q), beyond the Tomonaga approximation focusing on it's tails, |ω| ≫vq, i.e. the 2-pair excitation continuum due to forward scattering. Our methodology reveals three classes of diagrams: two “chiral” classes which bring divergent contributions in the limits ω→±vq, i.e. near the single-pair excitation continuum, and a “mixed” class (so-called Aslamasov-Larkin or Altshuler-Shklovskii type diagrams) which is crucial for the f-sum rule to be satisfied. We relate our approach to the T=0 ones present in the literature. We also consider the case and show that the 2-pair excitation continuum dominates the single-pair one in the range: |q|T/k_F ≪ω±vq ≪T (substantial for q ≪k_F). As applications we first derive the small-momentum optical conductivity due to forward scattering: σ∼1/ω for T ≪ω and σ∼T/ω² for T ≫ω. Next, within the 2-pair excitation continuum, we show that the attenuation rate of a coherent mode of dispersion Ω_q crosses over from , e.g. γ_q ∼|q|³ for an acoustic mode, to , independent of Ω_q, as temperature increases. Finally, we show that the 2-pair excitation continuum yields subleading curvature corrections to the electron-electron scattering rate: , where V is the dimensionless strength of the interaction.     

Semiconductor quantum dots in high magnetic fields

We review and extend the composite fermion theory for semiconductor quantum dots in high magnetic fields. The mean-field model of composite fermions is unsatisfactory for the qualitative physics at high angular momenta. Extensive numerical calculations demonstrate that the microscopic CF theory, which incorporates interactions between composite fermions, provides an excellent qualitative and quantitative account of the quantum dot ground state down to the largest angular momenta studied, and allows systematic improvements by inclusion of mixing between composite fermion Landau levels (called Λ levels).     

Non perturbative calculations for three particles in a linear chain within the generalized Hubbard model

A real-space method has been introduced to study the pairing problem within the generalized Hubbard Hamiltonian. This method includes the bond-charge interaction term as an extension of the previously proposed mapping method [1] for the Hubbard model. The generalization of the method is based on mapping the correlated many-body problem onto an equivalent site- and bond-impurity tight-binding one in a higher dimensional space, where the problem can be solved exactly. In a one-dimensional lattice, we analyzed the three particle correlation by calculating the binding energy at the ground state, using different values of the bond-charge, the on-site (U) and the nearest-neighbor (V) interactions. A pairing asymmetry is found between electrons and holes for the generalized hopping amplitude, where the hole pairing is not always easier than the electron case. For some special values of the hopping parameters and for all kinds of interactions in the Hubbard Hamiltonian, an analytical solution is obtained. Received 21 January 2000 and Received in final form 18 July 2000     

Competition of disorder and interchain hopping in a two-chain Hubbard model

We study the interplay of Anderson localization and interaction in a two chain Hubbard ladder allowing for arbitrary ratio of disorder strength to interchain coupling. We obtain three different types of spin gapped localized phases depending on the strength of disorder: a pinned 4k _F Charge Density Wave (CDW) for weak disorder, a pinned 2k _F CDW^π for intermediate disorder and two independently pinned single chain 2k _F CDW for strong disorder. Confinement of electrons can be obtained as a result of strong disorder or strong attraction. We give the full phase diagram as a function of disorder, interaction strength and interchain hopping. We also study the influence of interchain hopping on localization length and show that localization is enhanced by a small interchain hopping but suppressed by a large interchain hopping. Received 6 April 2001     

Microwave transport approach to the coherence of interchain hopping in (TMTSF)2PF6

We report a microwave study of the longitudinal and transverse transport properties of the quasi-one-dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF)₂PF₆ in its normal phase. The contactless technique have provided a direct measurement of the temperature profile of the resistivity along the b' direction and in magnetic fields up to 14 T. A characteristic energy scale ( K) has been observed which delimits a transient regime from an insulating to a metallic behavior. This anomalous profile is discussed in terms of the onset of coherent transport properties along the b' direction below 40 K. This is also supported by the observation of a finite longitudinal and transverse magnetoresistances only below 40 K, indicative of a two-dimensional regime. Below T_x, however, strong deviations with respect to a Fermi liquid behavior are evidenced. Received 27 January 1999     

Anisotropic electrodynamics of low dimensional metals: Optical studies of (TMTSF)2ClO4

Optical experiments are reported for the metallic state of the linear chain compound (TMTSF)₂ClO₄. For the electric field polarized both along the highly (a) and intermediately (b ) conducting directions, a zero energy (ZE) mode and a finite energy mode (FE) are observed. The large anisotropy in the spectral weight of the FE mode is consistent with the band structure, however the spectral weight of the ZE mode is surprisingly isotropic. In the least conducting (c ^*) direction, the low frequency optical conductivity along with the dc conductivity indicate the presence of a (small) Drude component only at temperatures below 10 K. These observations provide evidence for a correlation induced semimetallic state, with a 3D to 2D crossover with increasing temperature. Received 20 May 1999     

A dynamic scattering approach for a gated interacting wire

A scattering approach for correlated one-dimensional systems is developed. The perfect contact to charge reservoirs is encoded in time-dependent boundary conditions. The conductance matrix for an arbitrary gated wire, respecting charge conservation, is expressed through a dynamic scattering matrix. Two applications are developed. First, it is shown that the dc conductance is equal to e ²/h for any model with conserved total left- and right-moving charges. Second, the ac conductance matrix is explicitly computated for the Tomonaga-Luttinger model (TLL). Received 31 August 1998     

Linear and nonlinear transport across carbon nanotube quantum dots

We present a low energy-theory for non-linear transport in finite-size interacting single-wall carbon nanotubes. It is based on a microscopic model for the interacting p_z electrons and successive bosonization. We consider weak coupling to the leads and derive equations of motion for the reduced density matrix. We focus on the case of large-diameter nanotubes where exchange effects can be neglected. In this situation the energy spectrum is highly degenerate. Due to the multiple degeneracy, diagonal as well as off-diagonal (coherences) elements of the density matrix contribute to the nonlinear transport. At low bias, a four-electron periodicity with a characteristic ratio between adjacent peaks is predicted. Our results are in quantitative agreement with recent experiments.     

Microscopic interactions in CuGeO 3 and organic Spin-Peierls systems deduced from their pretransitional lattice fluctuations

CuGeO₃ exhibits a Spin-Peierls (SP) transition, at T _SP = 14.3 K, which is announced above 19 K by an important regime of one-dimensional (1D) pretransitional lattice fluctuations which can be detected until about 40 K using X-ray diffuse scattering investigations. A quantitative analysis of this scattering shows that in this 1D direction the correlation length follows the “universal” behaviour expected for the thermal fluctuations of a real order parameter which characterizes the lattice dimerization. This allows to define a 1D mean-field temperature, T _SP ^MF , of about 60 K and invalidates any mean field scenario for the SP transition of CuGeO₃. As T _SP ^MF is as high as 4 T _SP we propose that the 3D-SP order is achieved by the interchain coupling between 1D solitons which form below about 16-20 K. CuGeO₃ being in the non-adiabatic regime, it is also suggested that the observed pretransitional fluctuations of CuGeO₃ originate from the X-ray scattering on a very broad damped critical response of lower frequency than the “critical” phonon modes. From the quantitative analysis of the 1D fluctuations we also estimate the microscopic parameters of the SP chain. These parameters allow to locate CuGeO₃ close to the quantum critical boundary separating the gapped SP ground state to the ungapped anti-ferromagnetic ground state. The vicinity of a quantum critical point emphasizes the role of the quantum and non-adiabatic fluctuations and the importance of the interchain coupling in the physics of CuGeO₃. Finally we compare these findings with those obtained for the organic SP systems (BCPTTF)₂PF₆, (TMTTF)₂PF₆ and MEM(TCNQ)₂. From a similar analysis of the pretransitional lattice fluctuations it is found that (BCPTTF)₂PF₆ and (TMTTF)₂PF₆ are located on the SP gapped classical-quantum boundary and are in the adiabatic regime where the fluctuations lead to the formation of a pseudo-gap in the spin degrees of freedom. Differently, we place MEM(TCNQ)₂ inside the SP quantum phase around the crossover line between the adiabatic and non-adiabatic regimes. Received 13 September 2000 and Received in final form 6 February 2001     

The Fermi-sea-like limit of the composite fermion wave function

The experimentally observed filling factors of the fractional quantum Hall effect can be described in terms of the composite fermion wave function of the Jastrow-Slater form [0pt] fully projected into the lowest Landau level. The Slater determinant of the above composite fermion wave function represents the filled Landau levels of composite fermions evaluated at the corresponding reduced magnetic field. For a system of fermions studied in the thermodynamic limit, we prove that in the even-denominator-filled state limit (when the number of filled Landau levels of composite fermions becomes infinite), the above composite fermion wave function exactly transforms into the Rezayi-Read Fermi-sea-like wave function [0pt] constructed by attaching 2m flux quanta to the Slater determinant of two-dimensional free fermions at the density corresponding to that filling. We study the composite fermion wave function and its evolution into the Fermi-sea-like wave function for a range of filling factors very close to the even-denominator-filled state. Received 19 March 1999     

Correlated transport and non-Fermi-liquid behavior in single-wall carbon nanotubes

We derive the effective low-energy theory for single-wall carbon nanotubes including the Coulomb interactions among electrons. The generic model found here consists of two spin-fermion chains which are coupled by the interaction. We analyze the theory using bosonization, renormalization-group techniques, and Majorana refermionization. Several experimentally relevant consequences of the breakdown of Fermi liquid theory observed here are discussed in detail, e.g., magnetic instabilities, anomalous conductance laws, and impurity screening profiles. Received: 12 December 1997 / Revised: 9 March 1998 / Accepted: 12 March 1998     

Random-phase approximation for the grand-canonical potential of composite fermions in the half-filled lowest Landau level

We reconsider the theory of the half-filled lowest Landau level using the Chern-Simons formulation and study the grand-canonical potential in the random-phase approximation (RPA). Calculating the unperturbed response functions for current- and charge-density exactly, without any expansion with respect to frequency or wave vector, we find that the integral for the ground-state energy converges rapidly (algebraically) at large wave vectors k, but exhibits a logarithmic divergence at small k. This divergence originates in the k^-2 singularity of the Chern-Simons interaction and it is already present in lowest-order perturbation theory. A similar divergence appears in the chemical potential. Beyond the RPA, we identify diagrams for the grand-canonical potential (ladder-type, maximally crossed, or a combination of both) which diverge with powers of the logarithm. We expand our result for the RPA ground-state energy in the strength of the Coulomb interaction. The linear term is finite and its value compares well with numerical simulations of interacting electrons in the lowest Landau level. Received: 19 February 1998 / Revised: 25 March 1998 / Accepted: 17 April 1998