arXiv subjects

C. Pépin

Publications and source records attributed to C. Pépin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Bands renormalization and superconductivity in the strongly correlated Hubbard model using composite operators method

We use the composite operator method (COM) to analyze the strongly correlated repulsive Hubbard model, investigating the effect of nearest-neighbor hoppings up to fourth order on a square lattice. We consider two sets of self-consistent equations, one enforcing the Pauli principle and the other imposing charge-charge, spin-spin, and pair-pair correlations using a decoupling scheme developed by L. Roth. We extract three distinct solutions from these equations: COM1 and COM2 by imposing the Pauli principle and one from Roth decoupling. An overview of the method studying the validity of particle-hole symmetry and the Luttinger theorem for each solution is presented. Additionally, we extend the initial basis to study superconductivity, concluding that it is induced by the Van Hove singularity. Finally, we include higher-order hoppings using realistic estimates for tight binding parameters and compare our results with ARPES measurements on cuprates.

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arXiv2023

Charge order and emergent symmetries in cuprate superconductors

In this paper, we present our studies of the phase diagram of the cuprate superconductors performed in recent years. We describe how a few field-theoretical concepts can be used to account for the puzzling properties of these compounds. Starting with a short exposition of recent experimental developments, we then introduce the concept of an emergent SU(2) symmetry, which rotates between the superconducting and charge order parameters. We describe a solvable model for which this symmetry turns out to be exact and derive the corresponding effective field theory in terms of a non-linear σ model. We then turn to the experimental consequences of our model with the presence of skyrmions inside the vortex core and an elegant account of the B-T phase diagram. Next, we move on to the second concept, which is the one of an emergent U(1) gauge field in the theory. Within this more general framework, the pseudogap transition can be viewed as a confining/deconfining transition. Experimental consequences for a few spectroscopic probes like inelastic neutron scattering, Raman spectroscopy, phonon line in x-ray scattering and angle-resolved photoemission experiments are studied. This theory suggests the presence of incoherent bosons at moderate temperatures in the phase diagram of the cuprates, which would undergo a jamming transition at optimal doping [1]. Consequences of the presence of such bosons on the transport properties of these materials are examined.

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arXiv2019

Fractionalized pair density wave in the pseudo-gap phase of cuprate superconductors

The mysterious pseudo-gap (PG) phase of cuprate superconductors has been the subject of intense investigation over the last thirty years, but without a clear agreement about its origin. Owing to a recent observation in Raman spectroscopy, of a precursor in the charge channel, on top of the well known fact of a precursor in the superconducting channel, we present here a novel idea: the PG is formed through a Higgs mechanism, where two kinds of preformed pairs, in the particle-particle and particle-hole channels, become entangled through a freezing of their global phase. Remarkably, this entanglement is equivalent to fractionalizing a Cooper pair density wave (PDW) into its elementary parts; the particle-hole pair, giving rise to both density modulations and current modulations, and the particle-particle counterpart, leading to the formation of Cooper pairs. From this perspective, the "fractionalized PDW" becomes the central object around the formation of the pseudo-gap. The "locking" of phases between the charge and superconducting modes gives a unique explanation for the unusual global phase coherence of short-range charge modulations, observed below $T_{c}$ on phase sensitive scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). A simple microscopic model enables us to estimate the mean-field values of the precursor gaps in each channel and the PG energy scale, and to compare them to the values observed in Raman scattering spectroscopy. We also discuss the possibility of a multiplicity of orders in the PG phase and give an overview of the phase diagram.

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arXiv2019

Fluctuations and Higgs mechanism in Under-Doped Cuprates: a Review

The physics of the pseudo-gap phase of high temperature cuprate superconductors has been an enduring mystery in the past thirty years. The ubiquitous presence of the pseudo-gap phase in under-doped cuprates suggests that its understanding holds a key in unraveling the origin of high temperature superconductivity. In this paper, we review various theoretical approaches to this problem, with a special emphasis on the concept of emergent symmetries in the under-doped region of those compounds. We differentiate the theories by considering a few fundamental questions related to the rich phenomenology of these materials. Lastly we discuss a recent idea of two kinds of entangled preformed pairs which open a gap at the pseudo-gap onset temperature $T^{*}$ through a specific Higgs mechanism. We give a review of the experimental consequences of this line of thoughts.

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arXiv2018

Anisotropic Kondo pseudo-gap in URu2Si2

A polarized electronic Raman scattering study reveals the emergence of symmetry dependence in the electronic Raman response of single crystalline URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ below the Kondo crossover scale $T_K\sim100K$. In particular, the development of a coherent Kondo pseudo-gap predominantly in the E$_g$ channel highlights strong anisotropy in the Kondo physics in URu$_{2}$Si$_{2}$ that has previously been neglected in theoretical models of this system. A calculation of the Raman vertices demonstrates that the strongest Raman vertex does indeed develop within the E$_g$ channel for interband transitions and reaches a maximum along the diagonals of the Brillouin zone, implying a d-wave-like geometry for the Kondo pseudo-gap. Below the hidden order phase transition at $T_{HO}= 17.5K$, the magnitude of the pseudo-gap is found to be enhanced. Moreover, the anisotropy of the pseudo-gap is similar in form to that proposed for the chiral d-wave (E$_g$) superconducting state that appears below $T_c=1.5K$.

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arXiv2017

Local particle-hole pair excitations by SU(2) symmetry fluctuations

Understanding the pseudo-gap phase which opens in the under-doped regime of cuprate superconductors is one of the most enduring challenges of the physics of these compounds. A depletion in the electronic density of states is observed, which is gapping out part of the Fermi surface, leading to the formation of mysterious lines of massless excitations- the Fermi arcs. Here we give a new theoretical account of the physics of the pseudo-gap phase in terms of the emergence of local patches of particle-hole pairs generated by SU(2) symmetry fluctuations. The proliferation of these local patches accounts naturally for the robustness of the pseudo-gap phase to disturbances like disorder or magnetic field and is shown to gap out part fo the Fermi surface, leading to the formation of the Fermi arcs. Most noticeably, we show that these patches induce a modulated charge distribution on the Oxygen atoms, in remarkable agreement with recent X-ray and STM observations.

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arXiv2017

A model for the neutron resonance in HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4+δ}$

We study the spin dynamics of the Resonant Excitonic State (RES) proposed, within the theory of an emergent SU(2) symmetry, to explain some properties of the pseudo-gap phase of cuprate superconductors. The RES can be described as a proliferation of particle-hole patches with an internal modulated structure. We model the RES modes as a charge order with multiple $2{\bf {p}}_{\text{F}}$ ordering vectors, where $2{\bf {p}}_{\text{F}}$ connects two opposite side of the Fermi surface. This simple modelization enables us to propose a comprehensive study of the collective mode observed at the antiferromagnetic (AF) wave vector $\mathbf{Q}=(π,π)$ by Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) in both superconducting state (SC), but also in the Pseudogap regime. In this regime, we show that the dynamic spin susceptibility accuses a loss of coherence terms except at special wave vectors commensurate with the lattice. We argue that this phenomenon could explain the change of the spin response shape around $\mathbf{Q}$. We demonstrate that the hole dependence of the RES spin dynamics is in agreement with the experimental data in HgBa$_{2}$CuO$_{4+δ}$.

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arXiv2017

Effective SU(2) theory for the pseudogap state

This paper exposes in a detailed manner the recent findings about the SU(2) scenario for the underdoped phase of the Cuprate superconductors. The SU(2) symmetry is formulated as a rotation between the $d$-wave SC phase and a $d$-wave charge order. We define the operators responsible for the SU(2) rotations and we derive the non-linear $σ$-model associated with it. In this framework, we demonstrate that SU(2) fluctuations are massless in finite portions of the Brillouin Zone corresponding to the anti-nodal regions ($0,$$π$), ($π,0$). We argue that the presence of SU(2) fluctuations in the anti-nodal region leads to the opening of Fermi arcs around the Fermi surface and to the formation of the pseudo-gap. Moreover, we show that SU(2) fluctuations lead, in turn, to the emergence of a finite momentum SC order -or Pair Density Wave (PDW)- and more importantly to a new kind of excitonic particle-hole pairs liquid, the Resonant Excitonic State (RES), which is made of patches of preformed particle-hole pairs with multiple momenta. When the RES liquid becomes critical, we demonstrate that electronic scattering through the critical modes leads to anomalous transport properties. This new finding can account for the Strange Metal (SM) phase at finite temperature, on the right hand side of the SC dome, shedding light on another notoriously mysterious part of the phase diagram of the Cuprates.

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arXiv2016

Angle Resolved Photo-Emission Spectroscopy signature of the Resonant Excitonic State

We calculate the Angle Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy (ARPES) signature of the Resonant Excitonic State (RES) that was proposed as the Pseudo-Gap state of cuprate superconductors [ArXiv 1510.03038]. This new state can be described as a set of excitonic (particle-hole) patches with an internal checkerboard modulation. Here, we modelize the RES as a charge order with $\bf{2p_{F}}$ wave vectors, where $\bf{2p_{F}}$ is the ordering vector connecting two opposite sides of the Fermi surface. We calculate the spectral weight and the density of states in the RES and we find that our model correctly reproduces the opening of the PG in Bi-2201.

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arXiv2016

$η$ collective mode as A$_{1g}$ Raman resonance in cuprate superconductors

We discuss the possible existence a spin singlet excitation with charge $\pm2$ ($η$-mode) originating the $A_{1g}$ Raman resonance in cuprate superconductors. This $η$-mode relates the $d$-wave superconducting singlet pairing channel to a $d$-wave charge channel. We show that the $η$ boson forms a particle-particle bound state below the $2Δ$ threshold of the particle-hole continuum where $Δ$ is the maximum $d$-wave gap. Within a generalized random phase approximation and Bethe-Salpether approximation study, we find that this mode has energies similar to the resonance observed by Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) below the superconducting (SC) coherent peak at $2Δ$ in various SC cuprates compounds. We show that it is a very good candidate for the resonance observed in Raman scattering below the $2Δ$ peak in the $A_{1g}$ symmetry. Since the $η$-mode sits in the $S=0$ channel, it may be observable via Raman, X -ray or Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy probes.

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arXiv2015

Charge orders, magnetism and pairings in the cuprate superconductors

We review the recent developments in the field of cuprate superconductors with the special focus on the recently observed charge order in the underdoped compounds. We introduce new theoretical developments following the study of the antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum critical point (QCP) in two dimensions, in which preemptive orders in the charge and superconducting (SC) sectors emerged, that are in turn related by an SU(2) symmetry. We consider the implications of this proliferation of orders in the underdoped region, and provide a study of the type of fluctuations which characterize the SU(2) symmetry. We identify an intermediate energy scale where the SU(2) pairing fluctuations are dominant and argue that they are unstable towards the formation of a Resonant Peierls Excitonic (RPE) state at the pseudogap (PG) temperature $T^{*}$. We discuss the implications of this scenario for a few key experiments.

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arXiv2015

SU(2)-symmetry in a realistic spin-fermion model for cuprate superconductors

We consider the Pseudo-Gap (PG) state of high-$T_c$ superconductors in form of a composite order parameter fluctuating between 2$p_F$-charge ordering and superconducting (SC) pairing. In the limit of linear dispersion and at the hotspots, both order parameters are related by a SU(2) symmetry and the eight hotspot model of Efetov $\textit{et al.}$ [Nat. Phys. $\bf{9}$, 442 (2013)] is recovered. In the general case however, curvature terms of the dispersion will break this symmetry and the degeneracy between both states is lifted. Taking the full momentum dependence of the order parameter into account, we measure the strength of this SU(2) symmetry breaking over the full Brillouin zone. For realistic dispersion relations including curvature we find generically that the SU(2) symmetry breaking is small and robust to the fermiology and that the symmetric situation is restored in the large paramagnon mass and coupling limit. Comparing the level splitting for different materials we propose a scenario that could account for the competition between the PG and the SC states in the phase diagram of high-$T_c$ superconductors.

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arXiv2014

Pseudogap, charge order, and pairing density wave at the hot spots in cuprate superconductors

We address the timely issue of the presence of charge ordering at the hot-spots in the pseudo-gap phase of cuprate superconductors in the context of an emergent SU(2)-symmetry which relates the charge and pairing sectors. Performing the Hubbard-Stratonovich decoupling such that the free energy stays always real and physically meaningful we exhibit three solutions of the spin-fermion model at the hot spots. A careful examination of their stability and free energy shows that, at low temperature, the system tends towards a co-existence of charge density wave (CDW) and the composite order parameter made of diagonal quadrupolar density wave and pairing fluctuations of Ref. [Nat. Phys. $\bf{9}$, 1745 (2013)].The CDW is sensitive to the shape of the Fermi surface in contrast to the diagonal quadrupolar order, which is immune to it. SU(2) symmetry within the pseudo-gap phase also applies to the CDW state, which therefore admits a pairing density pave counterpart breaking time reversal symmetry.

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arXiv2014

Vortices and charge order in high-T_c superconductors

We theoretically investigate the vortex state of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors in the presence of magnetic fields. Assuming the recently derived nonlinear $σ$-model for fluctuations in the pseudogap phase, we find that the vortex cores consist of two crossed regions of elliptic shape, in which a static charge order emerges. Charge density wave order manifests itself as satellites to the ordinary Bragg peaks directed along the axes of the reciprocal copper lattice. Quadrupole density wave (bond order) satellites, if seen, are predicted to be along the diagonals. The intensity of the satellites should grow linearly with the magnetic field, in agreement with the result of recent experiments.

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arXiv2014

Cascade of phase transitions in the vicinity of a quantum critical point

We study the timely issue of charge order checkerboard patterns observed in a variety of cuprate superconductors. We suggest a minimal model in which strong quantum fluctuations in the vicinity of a single antiferromagnetic quantum critical point generate the complexity seen in the phase diagram of cuprates superconductors and, in particular, the evidenced charge order. The Fermi surface is found to fractionalize into hotspots and antinodal regions, where physically different gaps are formed. In the phase diagram, this is reflected by three transition temperatures for the formation of pseudogap, charge density wave, and superconductivity (or quadrupole density wave if a sufficiently strong magnetic field is applied). The charge density wave is characterized by modulations along the bonds of the CuO lattice with wave vectors connecting points of the Fermi surface in the antinodal regions. These features, previously observed experimentally, are so far unique to the quantum critical point in two spatial dimensions and shed a new light on the interplay between strongly fluctuating critical modes and conduction electrons in high-temperature superconductors.

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arXiv2013

Modulated Spin Liquid and Magnetic Order from a Kondo-Heisenberg model applied to $URu_{2}Si_{2}$

Within the framework of the Kondo-Heisenberg model, we analyse the effect of charge fluctuation on the modulated spin liquid (MSL) and antiferromagnetic (AF) orders which were established in a previous publication. We discuss the emergence of two quantum critical lines separating the coexisting Kondo-MSL and Kondo-MSL-AF phases. The various order parameters of the system possess a characteristic signature observable on the electronic band structure of each of the phases. We calculate that the MSL order is indeed a possible explanation of the hidden order phase of $URu_{2}Si_{2}$ heavy fermion compound. Our model produces results in qualitative agreement with the experimental (T,P) phase diagram and the two gap openings in the system and quantitative agreement with the entropy and Sommerfeld coefficient evolution.

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arXiv2013

Effect of magnetic field on competition between superconductivity and charge order below the pseudogap state

We theoretically investigate the T-B phase diagram of cuprates building on the SU(2) pseudogap order recently obtained from the spin-fermion model. At low temperatures, our analysis reveals an almost temperature-independent critical magnetic field B_{QDW} at which d-wave superconductivity switches to the quadrupole density wave (QDW) phase. For temperatures beyond a certain value of the order of the zero-field superconducting transition temperature T_c, the critical field B_{QDW}(T) sharply grows. We compare our results derived within the effective SU(2) non-linear sigma-model with the phase diagram recently obtained by sound velocity measurements by LeBoeuf et al. [Nat. Phys. 9, 79 (2013)].

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arXiv2013

A resistor model for quantum criticality: quasi one-dimensional organic conductors

We investigate the metallic transport in the organic superconductor (TMTSF)2PF6 under pressure within the framework of the spin density wave theory in the proximity of a Peierls quantum critical point (QCP). We use a simple transport model of hot and cold regions around the Fermi surface, driven by the proximity to the QCP in order to provide a template to fit the experimental results. Successful agreement with the data comforts the interpretation of extended criticality around the antiferromagnetic QCP in the normal phase of quasi one-dimensional organic superconductors.

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