Interchain-frustration-induced metallic state in quasi-one-dimensional Mott insulators

The mechanism that drives a metal-insulator transition in an undoped quasi-one-dimensional Mott insulator is examined in the framework of the Hubbard model with two different hoppings t(perpendicular1) and t(perpendicular2) between nearest-neighbor chains. By applying an N(perpendicular)-chain renormalization group method at the two-loop level, we show how a metallic state emerges when both t(perpendicular1) and t(perpendicular2) exceed critical values. In the metallic phase, the quasiparticle weight becomes finite and develops a strong momentum dependence. We discuss the temperature dependence of the resistivity and the impact of our theory in the understanding of recent experiments on half-filled molecular conductors.