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Fabian Eickhoff

Publications and source records attributed to Fabian Eickhoff.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Interaction-driven dynamics in graphene flakes as a benchmark for quantum simulation

We study interaction-driven ultrafast dynamics in finite graphene flakes following an optical pump quench in an interacting tight-binding model. By comparing exact real-time evolution with simulations restricted to particle-hole excitation subspaces, we assess when relaxation can be captured by low-order many-body processes and when this is not sufficient. The single-particle orbital entropy provides a compact diagnostic for dynamic correlation growth. For the systems studied here, periodic graphene flakes are well described by low-order excitations, whereas confined geometries require substantial higher-order contributions even for relatively small interaction strengths. The quench protocol combines simple initial-state preparation with strongly correlated dynamics, identifying a promising benchmark problem for future quantum-computing simulations.

cond-mat.str-el

Power-Law Spectra and Asymptotic $\omega/T$ Scaling in the Orbital-Selective Mott Phase of a Three-Orbital Hubbard Model

Quantum materials whose properties lie beyond the celebrated Landau Fermi-liquid paradigm have been observed for decades across diverse material platforms. Finding microscopic lattice models for metallic states that exhibit such peculiar behavior remains a major theoretical challenge, as these features often originate from strong quantum fluctuations in strongly interacting electron systems. Here we investigate a three-orbital Hubbard model at a high-symmetry point that hosts a transition from a metallic to an orbital-selective Mott (OSM) phase. Employing single-site dynamical mean-field theory combined with full-density-matrix numerical renormalization group, we chart the $T-U$ phase diagram and obtain high-resolution real-frequency dynamics. In the OSM regime we find asymptotically scale-invariant (power-law) single-particle spectra and asymptotic $\omega/T$ scaling in both charge and spin channels, spanning several decades in frequency and temperature.

cond-mat.str-el

Flat-Band Driven Kondo Breakdown and Reentrant Effects in Heavy-Fermion Moir\'{e} Superlattices

Moir\'{e} superlattices (MSLs) in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures have demonstrated their incredible power in driving emergent electronic phenomena, some of which are reminiscent of those usually only observed in bulk strongly correlated quantum materials. With the recent discovery of van der Waals $f$-electron materials, the design of novel MSLs of intrinsic strong correlation is now within the reach. Here we study the novel electron phases of two-dimensional heavy-fermion MSL with increasingly diluted f-electron local moments. By applying dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) with numerical renormalization group (NRG) as an impurity solver, we demonstrate the appearance of a new energy scale and a re-entrant Kondo breakdown in connection with the emergence of a flat band in the system. We further compare our numerical findings with predictions derived from the Lieb-Mattis theorem and show the necessity of the new energy scale to consistently reconcile the predictions with the conventional single-impurity limit for exceedingly large unit cells.

cond-mat.str-el

Kondo breakdown in multi-orbital Anderson lattices induced by destructive hybridization interference

In this paper we consider a multi band extension to the periodic Anderson model. We use a single site DMFT(NRG) in order to study the impact of the conduction band mediated effective hopping of the correlated electrons between the correlated orbitals onto the heavy Fermi liquid formation. Whereas the hybridization of a single impurity model with two distinct conduction bands always adds up constructively, $T_{K}\propto \exp(-\mathrm{const}\, U/(\Gamma_1+\Gamma_2))$, we show that this does not have to be the case in lattice models, where, in remarkable contrast, also an low-energy Fermi liquid scale $T_0\propto \exp(-\mathrm{const}\, U/(\Gamma_1-\Gamma_2))$ can emerge due to quantum interference effects in multi band models, where $U$ denotes the local Coulomb matrix element of the correlated orbitals and $\Gamma_i$ the local hybridization strength of band $i$. At high symmetry points, heavy Fermi liquid formation is suppressed which is associated with a breakdown of the Kondo effect. This results in an asymptotically scale-invariant (i.e., power-law) spectrum of the correlated orbitals $\propto|\omega|^{1/3}$, indicating non-Fermi liquid properties of the quantum critical point, and a small Fermi surface including only the light quasi-particles. This orbital selective Mott phase demonstrates the possibility of metallic local criticality within the general framework of ordinary single site DMFT.

cond-mat.str-el

Spectral properties of strongly correlated multi impurity models in the Kondo insulator regime: Emergent coherence, metallic surface states and quantum phase transitions

We investigate the real-space spectral properties of strongly-correlated multi-impurity arrays in the Kondo insulator regime. Employing a recently developed mapping onto an effective correlated cluster problem makes the problem accessible to the numerical renormalization group. The evolution of the spectrum as function of cluster size and cluster site is studied. We applied the extended Lieb-Mattis theorem to predict whether the spectral function must vanish at the Fermi energy developing a true pseudo-gap or whether the spectral function remains finite at $\w=0$. Our numerical renormalization group spectra confirm the predictions of the theorem and shows a metallic behavior at the surface of a cluster prevailing in arbitrary spatial dimensions. We present a conventional minimal extension of a particle-hole symmetric Anderson lattice model at $U=0$ that leads to a gapped bulk band but a surface band with mainly $f$-orbital character for weak and moderate hybridization strength. The change in the site-dependent spectra upon introducing a Kondo hole in the center of the cluster are presented as a function of the hole-orbital energy. In particular the spectral signatures across the Kosterlitz-Thouless type quantum phase transition from a singlet to a local moment fixed point are discussed.

cond-mat.str-el

Kondo holes in strongly correlated impurity arrays: RKKY driven Kondo screening and hole-hole interactions

The emerging and screening of local magnetic moments in solids has been investigated for more than 60 years. Local vacancies as in graphene or in Heavy Fermions can induce decoupled bound states that lead to the formation of local moments. In this paper, we address the puzzling question how these local moments can be screened and what determines the additionally emerging low temperature scale. We review the initial problem for half-filled conduction bands from two complementary perspectives: By a single-particle supercell analysis in the uncorrelated limit and by the Lieb-Mathis theorem for systems with a large Coulomb interaction $U$. We proof that the stable local moments are subject to screening by three different mechanisms. Firstly the local moments are delocalized by a finite $U$ beyond the single-particle bound state. We find a Kosterlitz-Thouless type transition governed by an exponentially suppressed low energy scale of a counterintuitive Kondo form with $J_{\rm eff} \propto U^n$ for small $U$, where $n>1$ depends on the precise model. Secondly, we show that away from half-filling the local moment phase becomes unstable and is replaced by two types of singlet phases that are adiabatically connected. At a critical value for the band center, the physics is governed by an exponentially suppressed Kondo scale approaching the strong coupling phase that is replaced by an singlet formation via antiferromagnetic RKKY interaction for large deviation from the critical values. Thirdly, we show that the local magnetic moment can be screened by a Kondo hole orbital at finite energy, even though the orbital occupation is negligible: An additional low energy scale emerges below which the localized moment is quenched. Similarities to the experimental findings in Ce$_{1-x}$La$_x$Pd$_3$ are pointed out.

cond-mat.str-el

Strongly correlated multi-impurity models: The crossover from a single-impurity problem to lattice models

We present a mapping of correlated multi-impurity Anderson models to a cluster model coupled to a number of effective conduction bands capturing its essential low-energy physics. The major ingredient is the complex single-particle self energy matrix of the uncorrelated problem that encodes the influence to the host conduction band onto the dynamics of a set of correlated orbitals. While the real part of the self-energy matrix generates an effective hopping between the cluster orbitals, the imaginary part determines the coupling to the effective conduction bands in the mapped model. The rank of the imaginary part determines the number of independent screening channels of the problem, and allows the replacement of the phenomenological exhaustion criterion by a rigorous mathematical statement. This rank provides a distinction between multi-impurity models of first kind and of second kind. For the latter, there are insufficient screening channels available, so that a singlet ground state must be driven by the inter-cluster spin correlations. This classification provides a fundamental answer to the question of why ferromagnetic correlations between local moments are irrelevant for the spin compensated ground state in dilute impurity models, whereas they compete with the Kondo-scale in dense impurity arrays, without evoking a spin density wave. The low-temperature physics of three examples taken from the literature are deduced from the analytic structure of the mapped model, demonstrating the potential power of this approach. NRG calculations are presented for up to five site cluster. We investigate the appearance of frustration induced non-Fermi liquid fixed points in the trimer, and demonstrate the existence of several critical points of KT type at which ferromagnetic correlations suppress the screening of an additional effective spin-$1/2$ degree of freedom.

cond-mat.str-el

Symmetric single-impurity Kondo model on a tight-binding chain: a comparison of analytical and numerical ground-state approaches

We analyze the ground-state energy, local spin correlation, impurity spin polarization, impurity-induced magnetization, and corresponding zero-field susceptibilities of the symmetric single-impurity Kondo model on a tight-binding chain with bandwidth $W=2{\cal D}$ and coupling strength $J_{\rm K}$. We compare perturbative results and variational upper bounds from Yosida, Gutzwiller, and first-order Lanczos wave functions to the numerically exact data obtained from the Density-Matrix Renormalization Group (DMRG) and from the Numerical Renormalization Group (NRG) methods. The Gutzwiller variational approach becomes exact in the strong-coupling limit and reproduces the ground-state properties from DMRG and NRG for large couplings. We calculate the impurity spin polarization and its susceptibility in the presence of magnetic fields that are applied globally/locally to the impurity spin. The Yosida wave function provides qualitatively correct results in the weak-coupling limit. In DMRG, chains with about $10^3$ sites are large enough to describe the susceptibilities down to $J_{\rm K}/{\cal D}\approx 0.5$. For smaller Kondo couplings, only the NRG provides reliable results for a general host-electron density of states $ρ_0(ε)$. To compare with results from Bethe Ansatz, we study the impurity-induced magnetization and zero-field susceptibility. For small Kondo couplings, the zero-field susceptibilities at zero temperature approach $χ_0(J_{\rm K}\ll {\cal D})/(gμ_{\rm B})^2\approx \exp[1/(ρ_0(0)J_{\rm K})]/(2C{\cal D}\sqrt{πe ρ_0(0)J_{\rm K}})$, where $\ln(C)$ is the regularized first inverse moment of the density of states. Using NRG, we determine the universal sub-leading corrections up to second order in $ρ_0(0)J_{\rm K}$.

cond-mat.str-el

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy for probing strongly correlated many-body systems by scanning tunneling microscopy

We present an extension of the tunneling theory for scanning tunneling microcopy (STM) to include different types of vibrational-electronic couplings responsible for inelastic contributions to the tunnel current in the strong-coupling limit. It allows for a better understanding of more complex scanning tunneling spectra of molecules on a metallic substrate in separating elastic and inelastic contributions. The starting point is the exact solution of the spectral functions for the electronic active local orbitals in the absence of the STM tip. This includes electron-phonon coupling in the coupled system comprising the molecule and the substrate to arbitrary order including the anti-adiabatic strong coupling regime as well as the Kondo effect on a free electron spin of the molecule. The tunneling current is derived in second order of the tunneling matrix element which is expanded in powers of the relevant vibrational displacements. We use the results of an ab-initio calculation for the single-particle electronic properties as an adapted material-specific input for a numerical renormalization group approach for accurately determining the electronic properties of a NTCDA molecule on Ag(111) as a challenging sample system for our theory. Our analysis shows that the mismatch between the ab-initio many-body calculation of the tunnel current in the absence of any electron-phonon coupling to the experiment scanning tunneling spectra can be resolved by including two mechanisms: (i) a strong unconventional Holstein term on the local substrate orbital leads to reduction of the Kondo temperature and (ii) a different electron-vibrational coupling to the tunneling matrix element is responsible for inelastic steps in the $dI/dV$ curve at finite frequencies.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Realistic quantum critical point in one-dimensional two-impurity models

We show that the two-impurity Anderson model exhibits an additional quantum critical point at infinitely many specific distances between both impurities for an inversion symmetric one-dimensional dispersion. Unlike the quantum critical point previously established, it is robust against particle-hole or parity symmetry breaking. The quantum critical point separates a spin doublet from a spin singlet ground state and is, therefore, protected. A finite single-particle tunneling $t$ or an applied uniform gate voltage will drive the system across the quantum critical point. The discriminative magnetic properties of the different phases cause a jump in the spectral functions at low temperature, which might be useful for future spintronics devices. A local parity conservation will prevent the spin-spin correlation function from decaying to its equilibrium value after spin manipulations.

cond-mat.str-el

Effective low-energy description of the two impurity Anderson model: RKKY interaction and quantum criticality

We show that the RKKY interaction in the two-impurity Anderson model comprise two contributions: a ferromagnetic part stemming from the symmetrized hybridization functions and an anti-ferromagnetic part. We demonstrate that this anti-ferromagnetic contribution can also be generated by an effective local tunneling term between the two impurities. This tunneling can be analytically calculated for particle-hole symmetric impurities. Replacing the full hybridization functions by the symmetric part and this tunneling term leads to the identical low-temperature fixed point spectrum in the numerical renormalization group. Compensating this tunneling term is used to restore the Varma-Jones quantum critical point between a strong coupling phase and a local singlet phase even in the absence of particle-hole symmetry in the hybridization functions. We analytically investigate the spatial frequencies of the effective tunneling term based on the combination of the band dispersion and the shape of the Fermi surface. Numerical renormalization group calculations provide a comparison of the distance dependent tunneling term and the local spin-spin correlation function. Derivations between the spatial dependency of the full spin-spin correlation function and the textbook RKKY interaction are reported.

cond-mat.str-el