arXiv subjects

M. Civelli

Publications and source records attributed to M. Civelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Coupling strongly correlated electron systems to a tunable electronic reservoir

We study the effect of coupling an electronic reservoir to a Hubbard model and to a Dimer Hubbard Model. This is motivated by recent experiments on the effect of illumination on the insulator-metal transition in a vanadium oxides and photo-conductive cadmium sulfide heterostructure. We model the system as an electronic reservoir hybridized to the correlated system. We assume that the light intensity controls the hybridization coupling strength. We find that the light intensity acts similarly as the temperature in the weak interaction regime. This is consistent with the role played by electronic reservoirs in out-of-equilibrium systems. In contrast, qualitative differences appear at strong coupling. We show that modeling the V$_2$O$_3$ compound with a Hubbard model, our results describe qualitatively well the observed illumination-driven suppression of the insulator-metal transition. In contrast, in the DHM results fail to capture the mild suppression observed in the case of VO$_2$. This indicates that the lattice may play an important role in this case.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

Raman Response of the Charge Density Wave in Cuprate Superconductors

We study the Raman response, for $B_{1g}$ and $B_{2g}$ light-polarization symmetries, of the charge density wave phase appearing in the underdoped region of cuprate superconductors. We show that the $B_{2g}$ response provides a distinctive signature of the charge order, independently of the details of the electronic structure and from the concomitant presence of a pseudogap, in sharp contrast with the behavior of the $B_{1g}$ response. This well accounts for the Raman experimental results. We then clearly identify a charge density wave energy scale, and show that its doping dependence is eventually driven by the monotonic behavior of the pesudogap. This has also been pointed out in Raman experiments, and it is suggestive of a pseudogap ruling the multiple energy scales of the exotic phases appearing in the cuprate phase diagram.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Doping-driven pseudogap-metal-to-metal transition in correlated electron systems

We establish that a doping-driven first-order metal-to-metal transition, from a pseudogap metal to Fermi Liquid, can occur in correlated quantum materials. Our result is based on the exact Dynamical Mean Field Theory solution of the Dimer Hubbard Model. This transition elucidates the origin of many exotic features in doped Mott materials, like the pseudogap in cuprates, incoherent bad metals, enhanced compressibility and orbital selective Mott transition. This phenomenon is suggestive to be at the roots of the many exotic phases appearing in the phase diagram of correlated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Universal relationship between the energy scales of the pseudogap phase, the superconducting state and the charge density wave order in copper oxide superconductors

We report the hole doping dependencies of the pseudogap phase energy scale, $2Δ_{\rm PG}$, the anti-nodal (nodal) superconducting energy scales $2Δ^{AN}_{\rm SC}$ ($2Δ^{N}_{\rm SC}$) and the charge density wave energy scale, $2Δ_{\rm CDW}$. They have been extracted from the electronic Raman responses of distinct copper oxide families. For all the cuprates studied, we reveal universal doping dependencies which suggest that $2Δ_{\rm PG}$, $2Δ^{AN}_{\rm SC}$ and $2Δ_{\rm CDW}$ are governed by common microscopic interactions and that these interactions become relevant well above the superconducting transition at $T_c$. In sharp contrast, $2Δ^N_{\rm SC}$ tracks the doping dependence of $T_c$, appearing to be controlled by a different kind of interactions than the energy scales above.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Intimate link between Charge Density Wave, Pseudogap and Superconducting Energy Scales in Cuprates

The cuprate high temperature superconductors develop spontaneous charge density wave (CDW) order below a temperature $T_{CDW}$ and over a wide range of hole doping (p). An outstanding challenge in the field is to understand whether this modulated phase is related to the more exhaustively studied pseudogap and superconducting phases. To address this issue it is important to extract the energy scale $Δ_{CDW}$ associated with the charge modulations, and to compare it with the pseudogap (PG) $Δ_{PG}$ and the superconducting gap $Δ_{SC}$. However, while $T_{CDW}$ is well-characterized from earlier works little has been known about $Δ_{CDW}$ until now. Here, we report the extraction of $Δ_{CDW}$ for several cuprates using electronic Raman spectroscopy. Crucially, we find that, upon approaching the parent Mott state by lowering $p$, $Δ_{CDW}$ increases in a manner similar to the doping dependence of $Δ_{PG}$ and $Δ_{SC}$. This shows that CDW is an unconventional order, and that the above three phases are controlled by the same electronic correlations. In addition, we find that $Δ_{CDW} \approx Δ_{SC}$ over a substantial doping range, which is suggestive of an approximate emergent symmetry connecting the charge modulated phase with superconductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Multiple crossovers and coherent states in a Mott-Peierls insulator

We consider the dimer Hubbard model within Dynamical Mean Field Theory to study the interplay and competition between Mott and Peierls physics. We describe the various metal-insulator transition lines of the phase diagram and the break down of the different solutions that occur along them. We focus on the specific issue of the debated Mott-Peierls insulator crossover and describe the systematic evolution of the electronic structure across the phase diagram. We found that at low intra-dimer hopping the emerging local magnetic moments can unbind above a characteristic singlet temperature $T^*$. Upon increasing the inter-dimer hopping subtle changes occur in the electronic structure. Notably, we find Hubbard bands of a mix character with coherent and incoherent excitations. We argue that this state is relevant for VO$_2$ and its signatures may be observed in spectroscopic studies, and possibly through pump-probe experiments.

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arXiv2017

Vertical temperature-boundary of the pseudogap under the superconducting dome of the Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d phase-diagram

Combining electronic Raman scattering experiments with cellular dynamical mean field theory, we present evidence of the pseudogap in the superconducting state of various hole-doped cuprates. In Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d we track the superconducting pseudogap hallmark, a peak-dip feature, as a function of temperature T and doping p, well beyond the optimal one. We show that, at all temperatures under the superconducting dome, the pseudogap disappears at the doping pc, between 0.222 and 0.226, where also the normal-state pseudogap collapses at a Lifshitz transition. This demonstrates that the superconducting pseudogap boundary forms a vertical line in the T-p phase diagram.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Collapse of the Normal State Pseudogap at a Lifshitz Transition in Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+δ}$ Cuprate Superconductor

We report a fine tuned doping study of strongly overdoped Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ single crystals using electronic Raman scattering. Combined with theoretical calculations, we show that the doping, at which the normal state pseudogap closes, coincides with a Lifshitz quantum phase transition where the active hole-like Fermi surface becomes electron-like. This conclusion suggests that the microscopic cause of the pseudogap is sensitive to the Fermi surface topology. Furthermore, we find that the superconducting transition temperature is unaffected by this transition, demonstrating that their origins are different on the overdoped side.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Unconventional high-energy-state contribution to the Cooper pairing in under-doped copper-oxide superconductor HgBa$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{8+δ}$

We study the temperature-dependent electronic B1g Raman response of a slightly under-doped single crystal HgBa$_2$Ca$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{8+δ}$ with a superconducting critical temperature Tc=122 K. Our main finding is that the superconducting pair-breaking peak is associated with a dip on its higher-energy side, disappearing together at Tc. This result hints at an unconventional pairing mechanism, whereas spectral weight lost in the dip is transferred to the pair-breaking peak at lower energies. This conclusion is supported by cellular dynamical mean-field theory on the Hubbard model, which is able to reproduce all the main features of the B1g Raman response and explain the peak-dip behavior in terms of a nontrivial relationship between the superconducting and the pseudo gaps.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Exploring the Dark Side of Cuprate Superconductors: s-wave Symmetry of the Pseudogap

We reveal the full energy-momentum structure of the pseudogap of underdoped high-Tc cuprate superconductors. Our combined theoretical and experimental analysis explains the spectral-weight suppression observed in the B2g Raman response at finite energies in terms of a pseudogap appearing in the single-electron excitation spectra above the Fermi level in the nodal direction of momentum space. This result suggests an s-wave pseudogap (which never closes in the energy-momentum space), distinct from the d-wave superconducting gap. Recent tunneling and photoemission experiments on underdoped cuprates also find a natural explanation within the s-wave-pseudogap scenario.

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arXiv2010

Dynamical electronic nematicity from Mott physics

Very large anisotropies in transport quantities have been observed in the presence of very small in-plane structural anisotropy in many strongly correlated electron materials. By studying the two-dimensional Hubbard model with dynamical-mean-field theory for clusters, we show that such large anisotropies can be induced without static stripe order if the interaction is large enough to yield a Mott transition. Anisotropy decreases at large frequency. The maximum effect on conductivity anisotropy occurs in the underdoped regime, as observed in high temperature superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Interplay of magnetic and structural transitions in Fe-based pnictide superconductors

The interplay between the structural and magnetic phase transitions occurring in the Fe-based pnictide superconductors is studied within a Ginzburg-Landau approach. We show that the magnetoelastic coupling between the corresponding order parameters is behind the salient features observed in the phase diagram of these systems. This naturally explains the coincidence of transition temperatures observed in some cases as well as the character (first or second-order) of the transitions. We also show that magnetoelastic coupling is the key ingredient determining the collinearity of the magnetic ordering, and we propose an experimental criterion to distinguish between a pure elastic from a spin-nematic-driven structural transition.

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arXiv2010

Signature of Kondo breakdown quantum criticality in optical conductivity

We study the finite-frequency inter-band transition peak in the optical conductivity of a heavy fermion system close to a Kondo breakdown quantum critical point, where the lattice Kondo temperature vanishes. As the system approaches the phase transition from the heavy Fermi liquid side, we find a new cross-over regime where the peak position is related to, but is not directly proportional to, the lattice Kondo scale. In particular, the position of the peak moves to lower energies, but remains finite at the critical point. On the other hand, the peak value changes non-monotonically and eventually the peak disappears at the quantum critical point, indicating the decoupling of the narrow band of f-electrons from the conduction band. We argue that these are unique signatures of a Kondo breakdown transition, and therefore can be useful to distinguish it experimentally from a spin density wave instability.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2009

Evolution of the dynamical pairing across the phase diagram of a strongly correlated high-temperature superconductor

We study the dynamics of the Cooper pairing across the T=0 phase diagram of the two-dimensional Hubbard Model, relevant for high-temperature superconductors, using a cluster extension of dynamical mean field theory. We find that the superconducting pairing function evolves from an unconventional form in the over-doped region into a more conventional boson-mediated retarded form in the under-doped region of the phase diagram. The boson, however, promotes the rise of a pseudo-gap in the electron density of states rather than a superconducting gap as in the standard theory of superconductivity. We discuss our results in terms of Mott-related phenomena, and we show that they can be observed in tunneling experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2008

The doping-driven evolution of the superconducting state of a doped Mott insulator: a key for the high temperature superconductivity

High-temperature superconductors at zero doping can be considered strongly correlated two-dimensional Mott insulators. The understanding of the connection between the superconductor and the Mott insulator hits at the heart of the high-temperature superconducting mechanism. In this paper we investigate the zero-temperature doping-driven evolution of a superconductor towards the Mott insulator in a two dimensional electron model, relevant for high temperature superconductivity. To this purpose we use a cluster extension of dynamical mean field theory. Our results show that a standard (BCS) d-wave superconductor, realized at high doping, is driven into the Mott insulator via an intermediate state displaying non-standard physical properties. By restoring the translational invariance of the lattice, we give an interpretation of these findings in momentum space. In particular, we show that at a finite doping a strong momentum-space differentiation takes place: non-Fermi liquid and insulating-like (pseudogap) character rises in some regions (anti-nodes), while Fermi liquid quasiparticles survive in other regions (nodes) of momentum space. We describe the consequence of these happenings on the spectral properties, stressing in particular the behavior of the superconducting gap, which reveals two distinct nodal and antinodal energy scales as a function of doping. We propose a description of the evolution of the electronic structure while approaching the Mott transition and compare our results with tunneling experiments, photoemission and magnetotransport on cuprate materials.

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arXiv2008

Nodal/Antinodal Dichotomy and the Two Gaps of a Superconducting Doped Mott Insulator

We study the superconducting state of the hole-doped two-dimensional Hubbard model using Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory, with the Lanczos method as impurity solver. In the under-doped regime, we find a natural decomposition of the one-particle (photoemission) energy-gap into two components. The gap in the nodal regions, stemming from the anomalous self-energy, decreases with decreasing doping. The antinodal gap has an additional contribution from the normal component of the self-energy, inherited from the normal-state pseudogap, and it increases as the Mott insulating phase is approached.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Anomalous superconductivity and its competition with antiferromagnetism in doped Mott insulators

Proximity to a Mott insulating phase is likely to be an important physical ingredient of a theory that aims to describe high-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates. Quantum cluster methods are well suited to describe the Mott phase. Hence, as a step towards a quantitative theory of the competition between antiferromagnetism (AFM) and d-wave superconductivity (SC) in the cuprates, we use Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory to compute zero temperature properties of the two-dimensional square lattice Hubbard model. The d-wave order parameter is found to scale like the superexchange coupling J for on-site interaction U comparable to or larger than the bandwidth. The order parameter also assumes a dome shape as a function of doping while, by contrast, the gap in the single-particle density of states decreases monotonically with increasing doping. In the presence of a finite second-neighbor hopping t', the zero temperature phase diagram displays the electron-hole asymmetric competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity that is observed experimentally in the cuprates. Adding realistic third-neighbor hopping t'' improves the overall agreement with the experimental phase diagram. Since band parameters can vary depending on the specific cuprate considered, the sensitivity of the theoretical phase diagram to band parameters challenges the commonly held assumption that the doping vs T_{c}/T_{c}^{max} phase diagram of the cuprates is universal. The calculated ARPES spectrum displays the observed electron-hole asymmetry. Our calculations reproduce important features of d-wave superconductivity in the cuprates that would otherwise be considered anomalous from the point of view of the standard BCS approach.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Pseudogap induced by short-range spin correlations in a doped Mott insulator

We study the evolution of a Mott-Hubbard insulator into a correlated metal upon doping in the two-dimensional Hubbard model using the Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory. Short-range spin correlations create two additional bands apart from the familiar Hubbard bands in the spectral function. Even a tiny doping into this insulator causes a jump of the Fermi energy to one of these additional bands and an immediate momentum dependent suppression of the spectral weight at this Fermi energy. The pseudogap is closely tied to the existence of these bands. This suggests a strong-coupling mechanism that arises from short-range spin correlations and large scattering rates for the pseudogap phenomenon seen in several cuprates.

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