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L. Benfatto

Publications and source records attributed to L. Benfatto.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
arXiv2006

Field dependence of the magnetic spectrum in anisotropic and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya antiferromagnets: II. Raman spectroscopy

We compare the theoretical predictions of the previous article [L. Benfatto and M. B. Silva Neto, cond-mat/0602419], with Raman spectroscopy experiments in Sr(2)CuO(2)Cl(2) and untwinned La(2)CuO(4) single crystals. We construct the magnetic point group for the magnetically ordered phase of the two compounds, Sr(2)CuO(2)Cl(2) and La(2)CuO(4), and we classify all the Raman active one-magnon excitations according to the irreducible co-representations for the associated magnetic point group. We then measure the evolution of the one-magnon Raman energies and intensities for low and moderate magnetic fields along the three crystallographic directions. In the case of La(2)CuO(4), we demonstrate that from the jump of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya gap at the critical magnetic field H_c ~ 6.6 T for the weak-ferromagnetic transition one can determine the value of the interlayer coupling J_\perp/J ~ 3.2 x 10^-5. We furthermore determine the components of the anisotropic gyromagnetic tensor as g_s^a=2.0, g_s^b=2.08, and the upper bound g_s^c=2.65. For the case of Sr(2)CuO(2)Cl(2), we compare the Raman data obtained in an in-plane magnetic field with previous magnon-gap measurements done by ESR. Using the very low magnon gap estimated by ESR (~ 0.05 meV), the data for the one-magnon Raman energies agree reasonably well with the theoretical predictions for the case of a transverse field (only hardening of the gap).

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2006

Temperature Dependence of the Conductivity Sum Rule in the Normal State due to Inelastic Scattering

We examine the temperature dependence of the optical sum rule in the normal state due to interactions. To be concrete we adopt a weak coupling approach which uses an electron-boson exchange model to describe inelastic scattering of the electrons with a boson, in the Migdal approximation. While a number of recent works attribute the temperature dependence in the normal state to that which arises in a Sommerfeld expansion, we show that in a wide parameter regime this contribution can be quite small. Instead, most of the temperature dependence arises from the zeroth order term in the `expansion', through the temperature dependence of the spectral function, and the interaction parameters contained therein. For low boson frequencies this circumstance causes a linear T-dependence in the sum rule. We develop some analytical expressions and understanding of the temperature dependence.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2006

Magnetic susceptibility anisotropies in a two-dimensional quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

The magnetic and thermodynamic properties of the two-dimensional quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet that incorporates both a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and pseudo-dipolar interactions are studied within the framework of a generalized nonlinear sigma model (NLSM). We calculate the static uniform susceptibility and sublattice magnetization as a function of temperature and we show that: i) the magnetic-response is anisotropic and differs qualitatively from the expected behavior of a conventional easy-axis QHAF; ii) the Neel second-order phase transition becomes a crossover, for a magnetic field B perpendicular to the CuO(2) layers. We provide a simple and clear explanation for all the recently reported unusual magnetic anisotropies in the low-field susceptibility of La(2)CuO(4), L. N. Lavrov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 017007 (2001), and we demonstrate explicitly why La(2)CuO(4) can not be classified as an ordinary easy-axis antiferromagnet.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2005

Derivation of the generalized Non Linear Sigma Model in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction

We derive the long-wavelength non-linear sigma model for a two-dimensional Heisenberg system in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya and pseudodipolar interactions. We show that the system is a non-conventional easy-axis antiferromagnet, displaying an anomalous coupling between the magnetic field and the staggered order parameter. Our results are in good agreement with recent experimental data for undoped La2CuO4 compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2005

One-magnon Raman scattering in La(2)CuO(4): the origin of the field-induced mode

We investigate the one-magnon Raman scattering in the layered antiferromagnetic La(2)CuO(4) compound. We find that the Raman signal is composed by two one-magnon peaks: one in the B1g channel, corresponding to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moryia (DM) mode, and another in the B3g channel, corresponding to the XY mode. Furthermore, we show that a peak corresponding to the XY mode can be induced in the planar (RR) geometry when a magnetic field is applied along the easy axis for the sublattice magnetization. The appearance of such field-induced mode (FIM) signals the existence of a new magnetic state above the Neel temperature T_N, where the direction of the weak-ferromagnetic moment (WFM) lies within the CuO(2) planes.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2005

Dissipative dynamics of topological defects in frustrated Heisenberg spin systems

We study the dynamics of topological defects of a frustrated spin system displaying spiral order. As a starting point we consider the SO(3) nonlinear sigma model to describe long-wavelength fluctuations around the noncollinear spiral state. Besides the usual spin-wave magnetic excitations, the model allows for topologically non-trivial static solutions of the equations of motion, associated with the change of chirality (clockwise or counterclockwise) of the spiral. We consider two types of these topological defects, single vortices and vortex-antivortex pairs, and quantize the corresponding solutions by generalizing the semiclassical approach to a non-Abelian field theory. The use of the collective coordinates allows us to represent the defect as a particle coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators, which can be integrated out employing the Feynman-Vernon path-integral formalism. The resulting effective action for the defect indicates that its motion is damped due to the scattering by the magnons. We derive a general expression for the damping coefficient of the defect, and evaluate its temperature dependence in both cases, for a single vortex and for a vortex-antivortex pair. Finally, we consider an application of the model for cuprates, where a spiral state has been argued to be realized in the spin-glass regime. By assuming that the defect motion contributes to the dissipative dynamics of the charges, we can compare our results with the measured inverse mobility in a wide range of temperature. The relatively good agreement between our calculations and the experiments confirms the possible relevance of an incommensurate spiral order for lightly doped cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2004

Ward identity and optical-conductivity sum rule in the d-density wave state

We consider the role of the Ward identity in dealing with the transport properties of an interacting system forming a d-wave modulated charge-density wave or staggered flux phase. In particular, we address this issue from the point of view of the restricted optical-conductivity sum rule. Our aim is to provide a controlled approximation for the current-current correlation function which allows us also to determine analytically the corresponding sum rule. By analyzing the role of the vertex functions in both the microscopic interacting model and in the effective mean-field Hamiltonian, we propose a non-standard low-energy sum-rule for this system. We also discuss the possible applicability of these results for the description of cuprate superconductors in the pseudogap regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2004

Effect of orbital currents on the restricted optical sum rule

We derive the restricted optical-conductivity sum rule for a model with circulating orbital currents. It is shown that an unusual coupling of the vector potential to the interaction term of the model Hamiltonian results in a non-standard form of the sum rule. As a consequence, the temperature dependence of the restricted spectral weight could be compatible with existing experimental data for high-$T_c$ cuprates above the critical temperature $T_c$. We extend our results to the superconducting state, and comment on the differences and analogies between these two symmetry-breaking phenomena.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2004

Dynamics of topological defects in a spiral: a scenario for the spin-glass phase of cuprates

We propose that the dissipative dynamics of topological defects in a spiral state is responsible for the transport properties in the spin-glass phase of cuprates. Using the collective-coordinate method, we show that topological defects are coupled to a bath of magnetic excitations. By integrating out the bath degrees of freedom, we find that the dynamical properties of the topological defects are dissipative. The calculated damping matrix is related to the in-plane resistivity, which exhibits an anisotropy and linear temperature dependence in agreement with experimental data.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2004

The low-energy phase-only action in a superconductor: a comparison with the XY model

The derivation of the effective theory for the phase degrees of freedom in a superconductor is still, to some extent, an open issue. It is commonly assumed that the classical XY model and its quantum generalizations can be exploited as effective phase-only models. In the quantum regime, however, this assumption leads to spurious results, such as the violation of the Galilean invariance in the continuum model. Starting from a general microscopic model, in this paper we explicitly derive the effective low-energy theory for the phase, up to fourth-order terms. This expansion allows us to properly take into account dynamic effects beyond the Gaussian level, both in the continuum and in the lattice model. After evaluating the one-loop correction to the superfluid density we critically discuss the qualitative and quantitative differences between the results obtained within the quantum XY model and within the correct low-energy theory, both in the case of s-wave and d-wave symmetry of the superconducting order parameter. Specifically, we find dynamic anharmonic vertices, which are absent in the quantum XY model, and are crucial to restore Galilean invariance in the continuum model. As far as the more realistic lattice model is concerned, in the weak-to-intermediate-coupling regime we find that the phase-fluctuation effects are quantitatively reduced with respect to the XY model. On the other hand, in the strong-coupling regime we show that the correspondence between the microscopically derived action and the quantum XY model is recovered, except for the low-density regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2003

Optical response for a discrete stripe

The optical response of a charge stripe in the presence of pinning impurities is investigated. We address the issue of a discrete description of the stripe, and discuss its quantitative relevance with respect to a continuum one in the light of recent optical-conductivity measurements in cuprate compounds.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2003

Signature of stripe pinning in optical conductivity

The response of charge stripes to an external electric field applied perpendicular to the stripe direction is studied within a diagrammatic approach for both weak and strong pinning by random impurities. The sound-like mode of the stripes described as elastic strings moves to finite frequency due to impurity pinning. By calculating the optical conductivity we determine this characteristic energy scale for both a single stripe and an array of interacting stripes. The results explain the anomalous far-infrared peak observed recently in optical-conductivity measurements on cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2001

Coherence length in superconductors from weak to strong coupling

We study the evolution of the superconducting coherence length $ξ_0$ from weak to strong coupling, both within a s-wave and a d-wave lattice model. We show that the identification of $ξ_0$ with the Cooper-pair size $ξ_{pair}$ in the weak-coupling regime is meaningful only for a fully-gapped (e.g., s-wave) superconductor. Instead in the d-wave superconductor, where $ξ_{pair}$ diverges, we show that $ξ_0$ is properly defined as the characteristic length scale for the correlation function of the modulus of the superconducting order parameter. The strong-coupling regime is quite intriguing, since the interplay between particle-particle and particle-hole channel is no more negligible. In the case of s-wave pairing, which allows for an analytical treatment, we show that $ξ_0$ is of order of the lattice spacing at finite densities. In the diluted regime $ξ_0$ diverges, recovering the behavior of the coherence length of a weakly interacting effective bosonic system. Similar results are expected to hold for d-wave superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2001

Phase fluctuations in superconductors: from Galilean invariant to quantum XY models

We analyze the corrections to the superfluid density due to phase fluctuations within both a continuum and a lattice model for $s$- and d-wave superconductors. We expand the phase-only action beyond the Gaussian level and compare our results with the quantum XY model both in the quantum and in the classical regime. We find new dynamic anharmonic vertices, absent in the quantum XY model, which are responsible for the vanishing of the correction to the superfluid density at zero temperature in a continuum (Galilean invariant) model. Moreover the phase-fluctuation effects are reduced with respect to the XY model by a factor at least of order $1/(k_Fξ_0)^2$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2000

Phase fluctuations, dissipation and superfluid stiffness in d-wave superconductors

We study the effect of dissipation on quantum phase fluctuations in d-wave superconductors. Dissipation, arising from a nonzero low frequency optical conductivity which has been measured in experiments below $T_c$, has two effects: (1) a reduction of zero point phase fluctuations, and (2) a reduction of the temperature at which one crosses over to classical thermal fluctuations. For parameter values relevant to the cuprates, we show that the crossover temperature is still too large for classical phase fluctuations to play a significant role at low temperature. Quasiparticles are thus crucial in determining the linear temperature dependence of the in-plane superfluid stiffness. Thermal phase fluctuations become important at higher temperatures and play a role near $T_c$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2000

Gap and pseudogap evolution within the charge-ordering scenario for superconducting cuprates

We describe the spectral properties of underdoped cuprates as resulting from a momentum-dependent pseudogap in the normal state spectrum. Such a model accounts, within a BCS approach, for the doping dependence of the critical temperature and for the two-parameter leading-edge shift observed in the cuprates. By introducing a phenomenological temperature dependence of the pseudogap, which finds a natural interpretation within the stripe quantum-critical-point scenario for high-T_c superconductors, we reproduce also the T_c-T^* bifurcation near optimum doping. Finally, we briefly discuss the different role of the gap and the pseudogap in determining the spectral and thermodynamical properties of the model at low temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2000

The physics of the stripe quantum critical point in the superconducting cuprates

We elaborate on several observable consequences of the Quantum-Critical-Point scenario. In particular we show that the strong k-dependent scattering of the quasiparticles with the quasi-critical charge and spin fluctuations reproduces the main features of the low-energy spectral weights and of the observed Fermi surfaces. In the underdoped cuprates the attractive k-dependent charge scattering drives the formation of the pseudogap at the M points below the crossover temperature T^*. In this context we discuss models for pseudogap formation with relevant scattering in the particle-particle and particle-hole channels. The experimental consequences for the pair-fluctuation and for the pseudogap behavior are investigated.

cond-mat.supr-con↗