On the Luttinger theorem concerning number of particles in the ground states of systems of interacting fermions

Abstract

We analyze the original proof by Luttinger and Ward of the Luttinger theorem, according to which for uniform ground states of systems of (interacting) fermions, which may be metallic or insulating, the number of k points corresponding to non-negative values of G_s(k;mu) is equal to the total number of particles with spin index s in these ground states. Here G_s(k;mu) is the single-particle Green function of particles with spin index s at the chemical potential mu. For the cases where the two-body interaction potential is short-range, and in particular for lattice models, we explicitly demonstrate that this theorem is unconditionally valid, irrespective of the strength of the bare interaction potential. We arrive at this conclusion by amongst other things demonstrating that the perturbation series expansion for self-energy in terms of skeleton diagrams, as encountered in the proof of the Luttinger-Ward identity, is uniformly convergent for almost all momenta and energies. We further investigate the mechanisms underlying some reported instances of failure of the Luttinger theorem. With one exception, for all the cases considered in this paper, we show that the apparent failures of the Luttinger theorem can be attributed either to shortcomings of the employed single-particle Green functions or to misapplication of this theorem. The one exceptional case brings to light the possibility of a genuine failure of the Luttinger theorem for insulating ground states, which we show to be brought about by a false limit that in principle can be reached on taking the zero-temperature limit without the value of mu coinciding with the zero-temperature limit of the chemical potential satisfying the equation of state at finite temperatures; no such ambiguity can arise for metallic states.