arXiv subjects

Alvaro Ferraz

Publications and source records attributed to Alvaro Ferraz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Re-entrant topological order in strongly correlated nanowire due to Rashba spin-orbit coupling

The effect of the Rashba spin orbit coupling (RSOC) on the topological properties of the one-dimensional (1D) extended $s$-wave superconducting Hamiltonian, in the presence of strong electron-electron correlation, is investigated. It is found that a non-zero RSOC increases the periodicity of the effective Hamiltonian, which results in the folding of the Brillouin zone (BZ), and consequently in the emergence of an energy gap at the boundary of the BZ. Essentially the initial single band is divided into number of sub-bands. If the chemical potential lies inside the energy gaps (sub-bands) then the phase is topologically trivial (non trivial). This is the origin of re-entrant nature of the existent topological properties. The emergence of sub-bands allows us to drive the system in and out of the topological phase by the proper tuning of the chemical potential. A heterostructure involving van der Waals materials and a 1D Moire pattern for an investigation of the predicted effect has also been proposed. We also discuss how in-plane magnetic field can be used to control the RSOC coupling and induced periodicity in depleted InAs nanowire in which evidence of strong electron-electron correlation has been found.

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arXiv2024

A method to treat strongly correlated topological superconductors in one and two dimensions

In the strong electron-electron (e-e) interaction limit each atomic site is constrained to be either empty or singly occupied. One can treat this scenario by fractionalizing the electrons into spin and charge degrees of freedom. We use the coherent state symbols associated with the lowest irreducible representation of the $su(2|1)$ superalgebra spanned by the Hubbard operators to solve the proposed models, as they implicitly take into account both the single particle occupation constraint and the fractionalization of the electrons. As an example, using the proposed method we solve the one dimensional Kitaev chain and two-dimensional BCS-Hubbard model to show the emergence of topological properties. The proposed procedure is quite general and can be used to analyze different lattice Hamiltonian, provided strong e-e correlation excludes doubly occupied states.

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arXiv2023

A proposal for realizing Majorana fermions without external magnetic field in strongly correlated nanowires

We show that one dimensional (1D) topological superconductivity can be placed in the context of phenomena associated with strongly correlated electron systems. Here we propose a system consisting of a one-dimensional chain of strongly correlated fermions placed on a superconducting (SC) substrate that exhibits a spin-singlet extended $s$-wave pairing. Strong electron correlation is shown to transform an extended $s$-wave SC into a topological SC that hosts Majorana fermions. In contrast to the approaches based on mean-field treatments, no Zeeman or exchange magnetic field is needed to produce such an effect.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Topological Hall effect induced by classical large-spin background: $su(2)$ path-integral approach

The $su(2)$ coherent-state path-integral technique is employed to study lattice electrons strongly coupled to a quantum spin background. In the large-spin limit it is replaced with its classical counterpart that breaks the time-reversal symmetry. The fermions propagating through a classical large-spin texture may then exhibit the topological Hall effect which arises even for a zero scalar spin chirality of the underlying spin background.

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arXiv2021

Strong Correlation, Bloch Bundle Topology and Spinless Haldane-Hubbard Model

Different realizations of the Hubbard operators in different Hilbert spaces give rise to various microscopic lattice electron models driven by strong correlations. In terms of the Gutzwiller projected operators, the most familiar examples are the t-J and the BCS-Hubbard models at strong coupling. We focus on the spin-dopon representation of the Hubbard operators. In this case the no double occupancy constraint (NDO) can be reexpressed as a Kondo interaction. As an explicit example, the effective low energy action is derived in terms of itinerant spineless fermions (dopons) strongly interacting with localized lattice spins.The spontaneous breaking of time reversal symmetry describes a spinless version of the Haldane-Hubbard topological theory. Our consideration suggests that the topologically non-trivial U(1) Bloch bundle associated with this model can be realized dynamically due to the presence of strong correlations even in the absence of any external flux.

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arXiv2021

Pseudogap phase and fractionalization: Predictions for Josephson junction setup

The pseudogap regime of the underdoped cuprates arguably remains one of the most enigmatic phenomena of correlated quantum matter. Recent theoretical ideas suggest that a pair density wave (PDW) or a "fractionalized PDW" could be a key ingredient for the understanding of the pseudogap physics. These ideas are to be contrasted to the scenario where charge density wave order and superconductivity coexist at low temperatures. In this paper, we present a few tests to compare the two scenarios in a Josephson junction setup. For a PDW scenario, we observe a beat-like structure of AC Josephson current. The additional frequencies for the AC Josephson current appear at the half-odd integer multiple of the standard Josephson frequency. We can extract the modulation wavevector of the PDW state by studying the average Josephson current. Furthermore, the usual sharp Shapiro steps break down. In contrast, these signatures are absent for the simple coexistence of orders. Any detection of such signatures in a similar experimental setup will strongly support the PDW scenario for the pseudogap phase.

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arXiv2020

Hubbard model vs. Kondo model: Strong coupling limit

The Hubbard model and the lattice Kondo model are shown to become identical in the strong-coupling limit. A departure from the strong-coupling regime produces distinct theories, however: the relevant perturbation terms give rise to either short-range spin exchange $(t-J$ model) or short-range charge exchange ($t-V$ model), respectively.

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arXiv2019

Stable and Metastable Kinetic Ferromagnetism on a Ring

Performing an exact diagonalization of the effective spin problem, a ferromagnetic ground state of kinetic origin is shown to emerge in a system of $N$ strongly correlated electrons on a $L$-site ring ($L > N$). This phenomenon is brought about by the quantum necklace statistics originated from the no double occupancy constraint leading to a fractional shifted electron momentum quantization. As a consequence of such special energy level distribution, the kinetic ferromagnetism is stable only for $N=3$. For odd $N>3$ the fully polarized FM state energy is only a local minimum but it is protected by a finite energy barrier that inhibits one spin-flip processes. The metastable ferromagnetic state survives perturbations of small magnitude opening up a possibility of being experimentally observed by an appropriate tuning of the interdot tunneling amplitudes in currently available quantum dot arrays.

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arXiv2019

Onset of ferromagnetism for strongly correlated electrons in one-dimensional chains

The existence of the Nagaoka ferromagnetism is examined in the context of the one-dimensional $U=\infty$ Hubbard model. We construct the exact quantum partition function to describe the physics of such a regime. Our calculation reveals that, while the ground state in an open chain is always spin-degenerate, in a finite size closed chain with at least one vacancy, the ground state can only be ferromagnetic when the number of electrons is less or equal to three. Our results shed more light on a very recent experimental verification of Nagaoka ferromagnetism in a quantum dot set up.

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arXiv2019

Triplet superconductivity in ferromagnets due to magnon exchange

We consider the superconducting pairing induced by spin waves exchange in a ferromagnet with both conduction and localized electrons, the latter being described as spins. We use the microscopic Eliashberg theory to describe the pairing of conducting electrons and the RPA approach to treat the localized spins assuming an exchange coupling between the conducting electrons and spins. In the framework of non relativistic Hamiltonian twe found that he spin wave exchange results in equal spin electron pairing described by the two components of the order parameter, $\Delta^{\uparrow}$ (both spins up) and $\Delta^{\downarrow}$ (both spins down). Due to the conservation of total spin projection on the axis of the spontaneous ferromagnetic moment, the spin wave exchange at low temperatures includes an emission of magnons and an absorption of thermal magnons by the conduction electrons. The absorption and emission processes depend differently on the temperature, with the absorption being progressively suppressed as the temperature drops. As a result, the superconducting pairing exists only if the electron-spin wave exchange parameter $g$ exceeds some critical value $g_c$. At $g>g_c$ pairing vanishes if the temperature drops below the lowest point $T_{cl}$ or increases above the upper critical point $T_{ch} \approx T_m$ (the Curie temperature) where the spin waves cease to exist. This behavior inherent to the spin carrying glue is in an obvious disagreement with the results of conventional BCS approach which assumes that the effective electron-electron attraction is simply proportional to the static magnetic susceptibility.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Fermi Surface Reconstruction in Underdoped Cuprates: The Origin of Electron Pockets

A new phenomenological model is proposed to describe the evolution of the Fermi surface (FS) in a wide range of dopings. It reproduces the key features of the cuprates in the underdoped phase above the superconducting temperature $T_c$. It is shown that the explicit accounting of strong electron correlation in the framework of the $t-J$ model taken in complementary to the translational symmetry breaking induced by the charge density wave (CDW) gives rise to the Fermi surface reconstruction (FSR) into small electron pockets. While the strong Coulomb repulsion leads to an emergence of the arc-like Fermi surface in the pseudogap (PG) phase, the Bragg reflection on the boundaries of the reduced Brillouin zone (BZ) opens up a possibility to close the quasiparticle orbits. Direct calculation of the FS properties allows us to unveil the scenario of the experimentally observed transition to the CDW phase that sets in at the doping level $\delta\approx0.08$ and is accompanied by a divergence of the carriers effective mass and the sign reversals of the Hall and Seebeck coefficients.

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arXiv2017

Effective model for $A_{2g}$ Raman signal in URu$_2$Si$_2$

We propose an effective model to describe the $A_{2g}$ signal in Raman scattering experiments in the URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ compound. We follow the scheme proposed earlier by Khveshchenko and Wiegmann [Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 500 (1994)] to calculate the $A_{2g}$ scattering vertex. We extract the imaginary part of a two-point current-current correlation function and compare it directly with the Raman response. We obtain an inelastic peak at $A_{2g}$ channel owing to the interplay between a local staggered ordering and a possible quantum spin liquid behavior. Our results offer an explanation for the electronic Raman scattering experiments at the hidden order phase in URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ compound [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 266405 (2014)].

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Itinerant-localized model of strongly correlated electrons: Fermi-surface reconstruction

A number of recent experiments have highlighted a remarkable transformation of a large cuprate Fermi surface into small pockets in the underdoped region signalling a breakdown of a conventional Fermi liquid theory in the PG phase. A few phenomenological models have been recently put forward to account for this transformation. However, none of those models have been derived microscopically nor are totally compatible with experimental data. In the present work we show that the observed Fermi-surface reconstruction can be accounted for directly within a standard microscopic $t-J$ model of correlated electrons, provided strong electron correlations are properly taken into account.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Limitations of spin-fermion models in studying underdoped cuprates

A microscopic basis is provided for the spin-fermion model used to describe the physics of the underdoped cuprates. In this way, a spin-fermion coupling is shown to take care of the local no double occupancy constraint, which is ignored in the weakly coupled regime. This ingredient is proved to be essential to capture the physics of strong correlations, however. We elaborate further on our recent proposal for the strong-coupling version of the spin-fermion model that may prove to be the correct starting point to deal with the strong correlation physics displayed by the underdoped cuprates.

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arXiv2016

Breakdown of the Nagaoka phase at finite doping

The Nagaoka ($U=\infty$) limit of the Hubbard model on a square lattice is mapped onto the itinerant-localized Kondo model at infinitely strong coupling. Such a model is well suited to perform quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations to compute spin correlation functions. This model is shown to exhibit no short-range ferromagnetic (FM) spin correlations at any doping $\delta\ge 0.01$ and finite temperature, $T=0.1t$. Our simulations give no indication that there is a tendency towards ferromagnetic ordering in the ground state.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Quantum Monte Carlo study of the itinerant-localized model of strongly correlated electrons: Spin-spin correlation functions

We perform quantum Monte Carlo simulations of the itinerant-localized periodic Kondo-Heisenberg model for the underdoped cuprates to calculate the associated spin correlation functions. The strong electron correlations are shown to play a key role in the abrupt destruction of the quasi long-range antiferromagnetic order in the lightly doped regime.

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arXiv2014

Spin liquid versus long range magnetic order in the frustrated body-centered tetragonal lattice

The quantum Heisenberg model is studied in the geometrically frustrated body-centered tetragonal lattice(BCT lattice) with antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling J1 and intralayer first and second neighbor coupling J2 and J3. We introduce a variational method: each interaction term can be decoupled partially in the purely magnetic Weiss and in the spin-liquid (SL) mean-field channels. We find that the most stable variational solutions correspond to the three different possible long range magnetic orders that are respectively governed by J1, J2, and J3. We characterize three different purely SL non-magnetic solutions that are variationally the second most stable states after the purely magnetic ones. This suggests that quantum fluctuations induced by the frustration between J1-J2-J3 coupling should destroy magnetic orders and stabilize the formation of SL in large areas of parameters. The SL solution governed by J1 breaks the lattice translation symmetry. This Modulated SL is associated to a commensurate ordering wave vector (1,1,1). We discuss the relevance of our results for heavy fermion Uru2Si2 and cuprate superconductors that have a BCT lattice structure. Also, the general variational method introduced here can be applied to any other system where interaction terms can be decoupled in two different mean-field channels.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Fermi surface renormalization and quantum confinement in the two-coupled chains model

We address the problem of the Fermi surface renormalization and the quantum confinement regime (QCR) in the two coupled chains model(TCCM) of spinless fermions. We perform a self-consistent calculation of the renormalization group(RG) flows of the renormalized TCCM couplings and quasiparticle weight. On top of that we take explicitly into account the renormalization of the Fermi surface. The flow of the difference of the renormalized Fermi wave vectors associated with the bonding and antibonding bands has a dramatic effect on the single particle spectrum. Although the quasiparticle amplitude is nullified already at intermediate coupling the QCR is only observed at strong coupling. The state associated with this regime has a charge gap and it is not a Luttinger liquid. In contrast, the Fermi liquid regime is stabilized by the umklapp "$g_2$--like" interactions at very weak coupling regime.

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