arXiv subjects

Karsten Held

Publications and source records attributed to Karsten Held.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Pitfalls and solutions for perovskite transparent conductors

Transparent conductors-nearly an oxymoron-are in pressing demand, as ultra-thin-film technologies become ubiquitous commodities. As current solutions rely on non-abundant elements, perovskites such as SrVO3 and SrNbO3 have been suggested as next generation transparent conductors. Our ab-initio calculations and analytical insights show, however, that reducing the plasma frequency below the visible spectrum by strong electronic correlations-a recently proposed strategy-unavoidably comes at a price: an enhanced scattering and thus a substantial optical absorption above the plasma edge. As a way out of this dilemma we identify several perovskite transparent conductors, relying on hole doping, somewhat larger bandwidths and separations to other bands.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Numerical solver for the time-dependent far-from-equilibrium Boltzmann equation

The study of strongly out-of-equilibrium states and their time evolution towards thermalization is critical to the understanding of an ever widening range of physical processes. We present a numerical method that for the first time allows for the numerical solution of the most difficult part of the time-dependent Boltzmann equation: the full scattering term. Any number of bands (and quasiparticles) with arbitrary dispersion, any number of high order scattering channels (we show here four legs scatterings: electron-electron scattering) can be treated far from equilibrium. No assumptions are done on the population and all the Pauli-blocking factors are included in the phase-space term of the scattering. The method can be straightforwardly interfaced to a deterministic solver for the transport. Finally and most critically, the method conserves to machine precision the particle number, momentum and energy for any resolution, making the computation of the time evolution till complete thermalization possible. We apply this approach to two examples, a metal and a semiconductor, undergoing thermalization from a strongly out-of-equilibrium laser excitation. These two cases, which are in literature treated hitherto under a number of approximations, can be addressed free from those approximations and straightforwardly within the same numerical method.

physics.comp-ph↗

arXiv2020

Nickelate superconductors -- a renaissance of the one-band Hubbard model

Following the discovery of superconductivity in the cuprates and the seminal work by Anderson, the theoretical efforts to understand high-temperature superconductivity have been focusing to a large extent on a simple model: the one-band Hubbard model. However, superconducting cuprates need to be doped, and the doped holes go into the oxygen orbitals. This requires a more elaborate multi-band model such as the three-orbital Emery model. The recently discovered nickelate superconductors appear, at first glance, to be even more complicated multi-orbital systems. Here, we analyse this multi-orbital system and find that it is instead the nickelates which can be described by a one-band Hubbard model, albeit with an additional electron reservoir and only around the superconducting regime. Our calculations of the critical temperature Tc are in good agreement with experiment, and show that optimal doping is slightly below the 20% Sr-doping of Ref. 11. Even more promising than 3d nickelates are 4d palladates.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Statistical error estimates in dynamical mean-field theory and extensions thereof

We employ the jackknife algorithm to analyze the propagation of the statistical quantum Monte Carlo error through the Bethe--Salpeter equation. This allows us to estimate the error of dynamical mean-field theory calculations of the susceptibility and of dynamical vertex approximation calculations of the self-energy. We find that the different frequency components of the susceptibility are uncorrelated, whereas those of the self-energy are correlated. For improving the quality of the correlation matrix taking sufficiently many jackknife bins is key, while for reducing the standard error of the mean sufficiently many Monte Carlo measurements are necessary. We furthermore show that even in the case of the self-energy, the finite covariance does not have a sizable influence on the analytic continuation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Self-energy self-consistent density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory

We propose a hybrid approach which employs the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) self-energy for the correlated, typically rather localized orbitals and a conventional density functional theory (DFT) exchange-correlation potential for the less correlated, less localized orbitals. We implement this self-energy (plus charge density) self-consistent DFT+DMFT scheme in a basis of maximally localized Wannier orbitals using Wien2K, wien2wannier, and the DMFT impurity solver w2dynamics. As a testbed material we apply the method to SrVO$_3$ and report a significant improvement as compared to previous $d$+$p$ calculations. In particular the position of the oxygen $p$ bands is reproduced correctly, which has been a persistent hassle with unwelcome consequences for the $d$-$p$ hybridization and correlation strength. Taking the (linearized) DMFT self-energy also in the Kohn-Sham equation renders the so-called "double-counting" problem obsolete.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Topotactic hydrogen in nickelate superconductors and akin infinite-layer oxides ABO2

Superconducting nickelates appear to be difficult to synthesize. Since the chemical reduction of ABO3 (A: rare earth; B transition metal) with CaH2 may result in both, ABO2 and ABO2H, we calculate the topotactic H binding energy by density functional theory (DFT). We find intercalating H is energetically favorable for LaNiO2 but not for Sr-doped NdNiO2. This has dramatic consequences for the electronic structure as determined by DFT+dynamical mean field theory: that of 3d9 LaNiO2 is similar to (doped) cuprates, 3d8 LaNiO2H is a two-orbital Mott insulator. Topotactical H might hence explain why some nickelates are superconducting and others are not.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Truncated Unity Parquet Solver

We present an implementation of a truncated unity parquet solver (TUPS) which solves the parquet equations using a truncated form-factor basis for the fermionic momenta. This way fluctuations from different scattering channels are treated on an equal footing. The essentially linear scaling of computational costs in the number of untruncated bosonic momenta allows us to treat system sizes of up to 76x76 discrete lattice momenta, unprecedented by previous unbiased methods that include the frequency dependence of the vertex. With TUPS, we provide the first numerical evidence that the parquet approximation might indeed respect the Mermin-Wagner theorem and further systematically analyze the convergence with respect to the number of form factors. Using a single form factor seems to qualitatively describe the physics of the half-filled Hubbard model correctly, including the pseudogap behaviour. Quantitatively, using a single or a few form factors only is not sufficient at lower temperatures or stronger coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Terahertz Excitonics in Carbon Nanotubes: Exciton Autoionization and Multiplication

Excitons play major roles in optical processes in modern semiconductors, such as single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), transition metal dichalcogenides, and 2D perovskite quantum wells. They possess extremely large binding energies (>100~meV), dominating absorption and emission spectra even at high temperatures. The large binding energies imply that they are stable, that is, hard to ionize, rendering them seemingly unsuited for optoelectronic devices that require mobile charge carriers, especially terahertz emitters and solar cells. Here, we have conducted terahertz emission and photocurrent studies on films of aligned single-chirality semiconducting SWCNTs and find that excitons autoionize, i.e., spontaneously dissociate into electrons and holes. This process naturally occurs ultrafast (<1~ps) while conserving energy and momentum. The created carriers can then be accelerated to emit a burst of terahertz radiation when a dc bias is applied, with promising efficiency in comparison to standard GaAs-based emitters. Furthermore, at high bias, the accelerated carriers acquire high enough kinetic energy to create secondary excitons through impact exciton generation, again in a fully energy and momentum conserving fashion. This exciton multiplication process leads to a nonlinear photocurrent increase as a function of bias. Our theoretical simulations based on nonequilibrium Boltzmann transport equations, taking into account all possible scattering pathways and a realistic band structure, reproduce all our experimental data semi-quantitatively. These results not only elucidate the momentum-dependent ultrafast dynamics of excitons and carriers in SWCNTs but also suggest promising routes toward terahertz excitonics despite the orders-of-magnitude mismatch between the exciton binding energies and the terahertz photon energies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Parquet dual fermion approach for the Falicov-Kimball model

In the Falicov-Kimball model, a model for (annealed) disorder, we expect weak localization corrections to the optical conductivity. However, we get such weak localization effects only when employing a pp-ladder approximation in the dual fermion approach. In the full parquet approach these pp-contributions are suppressed by ph-reducible diagrams. For the optical conductivity, we find that the pht-channel yields the main contribution, even in the region where weak localization in the pp-ladder was indicated.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Electric-field-controllable high-spin SrRuO3 driven by a solid ionic junction

Controlling magnetism and spin structures in strongly correlated systems by using electric field is of fundamental importance but challenging. Here, a high-spin ruthenate phase is achieved via a solid ionic chemical junction at SrRuO3/SrTiO3 interface with distinct formation energies and diffusion barriers of oxygen vacancies, analogue to electronic band alignment in semiconductor heterojunction. Oxygen vacancies trapped within this interfacial SrRuO3 reconstruct Ru-4d electronic structure and orbital occupancy, leading to an enhanced magnetic moment. Furthermore, an interfacial magnetic phase can be switched reversibly by electric-field-rectifying oxygen migration in a solid-state ionic gating device, providing a framework for atomic design of functionalities in strongly correlated oxides using a way of solid chemistry.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Generic optical excitations of correlated systems: $π$-tons

The interaction of light with solids gives rise to new bosonic quasiparticles, with the exciton being---undoubtedly---the most famous of these polaritons. While excitons are the generic polaritons of semiconductors, we show that for strongly correlated systems another polariton is prevalent---originating from the dominant antiferromagnetic or charge density wave fluctuations in these systems. As these are usually associated with a wave vector ${\mathbf k}= (π,π,\ldots)$ or close to it, we propose to call the derived polaritons $π$-tons. These $π$-tons yield the leading vertex correction to the optical conductivity in all correlated models studied: the Hubbard, the extended Hubbard model, the Falicov-Kimball, and the Pariser-Parr-Pople model, both in the insulating and in the metallic phase.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Finite-temperature phase diagram of (111) nickelate bilayers

We report a density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT) study of an oxide heterostructure of LaNiO$_3$ (LNO) bilayers in [111] direction interleaved with four atomic monolayers of LaAlO$_3$. DFT+$U$ optimizations yield two stable solutions: a uniform structure with equivalent NiO$_6$ octahedra, as well as a bond-disproportionated (BD) structure featuring a breathing distortion. For both structures, we construct the low-energy models describing the Ni $e_g$ states by means of Wannier projections supplemented by the Kanamori interaction, and solve them by DMFT. Using the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo algorithm in the hybridization expansion, we study the temperature range between 145 and 450 K. For the uniform and the BD structure, we find similar phase diagrams that comprise four phases: a ferromagnetic metal (FM), a paramagnetic metal (PM), an antiferro-orbitally-ordered insulator (AOI), as well as a paramagnetic insulator (PI). By calculating momentum-resolved spectral functions on a torus and a cylinder, we demonstrate that the FM phase is not a Dirac metal, while both insulating phases are topologically trivial. By a comparison with available experimental data and model DMFT studies for the two-orbital Hubbard model, we suggest that LNO bilayers are in the AOI phase at room temperature.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

The AbinitioD$Γ$A Project v1.0: Non-local correlations beyond and susceptibilities within dynamical mean-field theory

The ab initio extension of the dynamical vertex approximation (D$Γ$A) method allows for realistic materials calculations that include non-local correlations beyond $GW$ and dynamical mean-field theory. Here, we discuss the AbinitioD$Γ$A algorithm, its implementation and usage in detail, and make the program package available to the scientific community.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Competition between antiferromagnetic and charge density wave fluctuations in the extended Hubbard model

By extending our {\it victory} implementation of the parquet approach to include non-local Coulomb interactions, we study the extended Hubbard model on the two-dimensional square lattice with a particular focus on the competition of the non-local charge and spin fluctuations. Surprisingly, we find that their competition, as the mechanism driving the phase transition towards the charge density wave, dominates only in a very narrow parameter regime in the immediate vicinity of the phase transition. Due to the special geometry and the Fermi surface topology of the square lattice, antiferromagnetic fluctuations dominate even for sizable next-nearest neighbor interactions. Our conclusions are based on the consistent observations in both the single- and two- particle quantities, including the self-energy, the single-particle spectral function, the two-particle susceptibility, the density-density vertex function and the optical conductivity. Our work unbiasedly establishes the connection of these quantities to the charge fluctuations, and the way of interpretation can be readily applied to any many-body method with access to the two-particle vertex.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Electronic and Magnetic State of LaMnO$_3$ Epitaxially Strained on SrTiO$_3$: Effect of Local Correlation and Non-local Exchange

Motivated by the puzzling report of the observation of a ferromagnetic insulating state in LaMnO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ heterostructures, we calculate the electronic and magnetic state of LaMnO$_3$, coherently matched to a SrTiO$_3$ square substrate within a "strained-bulk" geometry. We employ three different density functional theory based computational approaches: (a) density functional theory (DFT) supplemented with Hubbard U (DFT+U), (b) DFT + dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), and (c) a hybrid functional treatment of the exchange-correlation functional. While the first two approaches include local correlations and exchange at Mn sites, treated in a static and dynamic manner, respectively, the last one takes into account the effect of non-local exchange at all sites. We find in all three approaches that the compressive strain induced by the square substrate of SrTiO$_3$ turns LaMnO$_3$ from an antiferromagnet with sizable orbital polarization to a ferromagnet with suppressed Jahn-Teller distortion in agreement with experiment. However, while both DFT+U and DFT+DMFT provide a metallic solution, only the hybrid calculations result in an insulating solution, as observed in experiment. This insulating behavior is found to originate from an electronic charge disproportionation. Our conclusions remain valid when we investigate LaMnO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ within the experimental set-up of a superlattice geometry using DFT+U and hybrid calculations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Topology of SmB$_6$ determined by dynamical mean field theory

Whether SmB6 is a topological insulator remains hotly debated. Our density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory calculations are in excellent agreement with a large range of experiments, from the 4f5.5 intermediate valency to x-ray and photoemission spectra. Using the pole extended (PE) Hamiltonian, which fully captures the self-energy, we show that SmB6 is a strongly correlated topological insulator, albeit not a Kondo insulator. The PE Hamiltonian is proved to be topological (in)equivalent to the topological Hamiltonian for (non-)local self-energies. The topological surface states are analyzed, addressing conflicting interpretations of photoemission data.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Symmetric Improved Estimators for Continuous-time Quantum Monte Carlo

We derive equations of motion for Green's functions of the multi-orbital Anderson impurity model by differentiating symmetrically with respect to all time arguments. The resulting equations relate the one- and two-particle Green's function to correlators of up to six particles at four times. As an application we consider continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo simulations in the hybridization expansion, which hitherto suffered from notoriously high noise levels at large Matsubara frequencies. Employing the derived symmetric improved estimators overcomes this problem.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Parquet approximation for molecules: spectrum and optical conductivity of the Pariser-Parr-Pople model

We study a simple model system for the conjugated $π$-bonds in benzene, the Pariser-Parr-Pople (PPP) model, within the parquet approximation (PA), exemplifying the prospects of the PA for molecules. Advantages of the PA are the polynomial scaling with the number of orbitals, and the natural calculation of one- and two-particle spectral functions as well as of response and correlation functions. We find large differences in the electronic correlations in the PPP model compared to a Hubbard model with only local interactions. The quasiparticle renormalization (or mass enhancement) is much weaker in the PPP than in the Hubbard model, but the static part of the self-energy enhances the band gap of the former. Furthermore, the vertex corrections to the optical conductivity are much more important in the PPP model. Because non-local interactions strongly alter the self-energy, we conclude that the PA is more suitable for calculating conjugated $π$-bonds in molecules than single site dynamical mean-field theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗