arXiv subjects

Massimo Capone

Publications and source records attributed to Massimo Capone.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Towards high-temperature coherence-enhanced transport in few-atomic layers heterostructures

The possibility to exploit quantum coherence to strongly enhance the efficiency of charge transport in solid state devices working at ambient conditions would pave the way to disruptive technological applications. In this work, we tackle the problem of the quantum transport of photogenerated electronic excitations subject to dephasing and on-site Coulomb interactions. We show that the transport to a continuum of states representing metallic collectors can be optimized by exploiting the "superradiance" phenomena. We demonstrate that this is a coherent effect which is robust against dephasing and electron-electron interactions in a parameters range that is compatible with actual implementation in few monolayers transition-metal-oxide (TMO) heterostructures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Two-particle Fermi liquid parameters at the Mott transition: Vertex divergences, Landau parameters, and incoherent response in dynamical mean-field theory

We consider the interaction-driven Mott transition at zero temperature from the viewpoint of microscopic Fermi liquid theory. To this end, we derive an exact expression for the Landau parameters within the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) approximation to the single-band Hubbard model. At the Mott transition the symmetric and the anti-symmetric Landau parameter diverge. The vanishing compressibility at the Mott transition directly implies the divergence of the forward scattering amplitude in the charge sector, which connects the proximity of the Mott phase to a tendency towards phase separation. We verify the expected behavior of the Landau parameters in a DMFT application to the Hubbard model on the triangular lattice at finite temperature. Exact conservation laws and the Ward identity are crucial to capture vertex divergences related to the Mott transition. We furthermore generalize Leggett's formula for the static susceptibility of the Fermi liquid to the static fermion-boson response function. In the charge sector the limits of small transferred momentum and frequency of this response function commute at the Mott transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Exciton Mott transition revisited

The dissociation of excitons into holes and electrons in photoexcited semiconductors, despite being one of the first recognized examples of a Mott transition, still defies a complete understanding, especially regarding the character of the transition, which is first order in some cases and second order in others. Here we consider an idealized model of photoexcited semiconductors that can be mapped onto a spin-polarised half-filled Hubbard model, whose phase diagram reproduces most of the phenomenology of photoexcited semiconductors and uncovers the key role of the exciton binding energy in determining the order of the exciton Mott transition.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Photoinduced nematic state in FeSe$_{0.4}$Te$_{0.6}$

FeSe$_{x}$Te$_{1-x}$ compounds present a complex phase diagram, ranging from the nematicity of FeSe to the $(π, π)$ magnetism of FeTe. We focus on FeSe$_{0.4}$Te$_{0.6}$, where the nematic ordering is absent at equilibrium. We use a time-resolved approach based on femtosecond light pulses to study the dynamics following photoexcitation in this system. The use of polarization-dependent time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy allows us to reveal a photoinduced nematic metastable state, whose stabilization cannot be interpreted in terms of an effective photodoping. We argue that the 1.55 eV photon-energy-pump-pulse perturbs the $C_4$ symmetry of the system triggering the realization of the nematic state. The possibility to induce nematicity using an ultra-short pulse sheds a new light on the driving force behind the nematic symmetry breaking in iron-based superconductors. Our results weaken the idea that a low-energy coupling with fluctuations is a necessary condition to stabilize the nematic order and ascribe the origin of the nematic order in iron-based superconductors to a clear tendency of those systems towards orbital differentiation due to strong electronic correlations induced by the Hund's coupling.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Charge disproportionation, mixed valence, and Janus effect in multiorbital systems: A tale of two insulators

Multiorbital Hubbard models host strongly correlated 'Hund's metals' even for interactions much stronger than the bandwidth. We characterize this interaction-resilient metal as a mixed-valence state. In particular it can be pictured as a bridge between two strongly correlated insulators: a high-spin Mott insulator and a charge-disproportionated insulator which is stabilized by a very large Hund's coupling. This picture is confirmed comparing models with negative and positive Hund's coupling for different fillings. Our results provide a characterization of the Hund's metal state and connect its presence with charge disproportionation, which has indeed been observed in chromates and proposed to play a role in iron-based superconductors.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

SO(4) FLEX+DMFT formalism with SU(2)$\otimes$SU(2)-symmetric impurity solver for superconductivity in the repulsive Hubbard model

Here we have developed a FLEX+DMFT formalism, where the symmetry properties of the system are incorporated by constructing a SO(4) generalization of the conventional fluctuation-exchange approximation (FLEX) coupled self-consistently to the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). Along with this line, we emphasize that the SO(4) symmetry is the lowest group-symmetry that enables us to investigate superconductivity and antiferromagnetism on an equal footing. We have imposed this by decomposing the electron operator into auxiliary fermionic and slave-boson constituents that respect SU(2)$_{\rm spin}\otimes$SU(2)$_{η{\rm spin}}$. This is used not in a mean-field treatment as in the usual slave-boson formalisms, but instead in the DMFT impurity solver with an SU(2)$_{\rm spin}\otimes$SU(2)$_{η{\rm spin}}$ hybridization function to incorporate the FLEX-generated bath information into DMFT iterations. While there have been attempts such as the doublon-less SU(2) slave-boson formalism, the present "full-SU(2)" slave-boson formalism is expected to provide a new platform for addressing the underlying physics for various quantum orders, which compete with each other and can coexist.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Quantum interference assisted spin filtering in graphene nanoflakes

We demonstrate that hexagonal graphene nanoflakes with zigzag edges display quantum interference (QI) patterns analogous to benzene molecular junctions. In contrast with graphene sheets, these nanoflakes also host magnetism. The cooperative effect of QI and magnetism enables spin-dependent quantum interference effects that result in a nearly complete spin polarization of the current, and holds a huge potential for spintronic applications. We understand the origin of QI in terms of symmetry arguments, which show the robustness and generality of the effect. This also allows us to devise a concrete protocol for the electrostatic control of the spin polarization of the current by breaking the sublattice symmetry of graphene, by deposition on hexagonal boron nitride, paving the way to switchable spin-filters. Such a system benefits of all the extraordinary conduction properties of graphene, and at the same time, it does not require any external magnetic field to select the spin polarization, as magnetism emerges spontaneously at the edges of the nanoflake.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Momentum-dependent relaxation dynamics of the doped repulsive Hubbard model

We study the dynamical behavior of doped electronic systems subject to a global ramp of the repulsive Hubbard interaction. We start with formulating a real-time generalization of the fluctuation-exchange approximation. Implementing this numerically, we investigate the weak-coupling regime of the Hubbard model both in the electron-doped and hole-doped regimes. The results show that both local and nonlocal (momentum-dependent) observables evolve toward a thermal state, although the temperature of the final state depends on the ramp duration and the chemical doping. We further reveal a momentum-dependent relaxation rate of the distribution function in doped systems, and trace back its physical origin to the anisotropic self-energies in the momentum space.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Enhanced performance of a quantum-dot-based nanomotor due to Coulomb interactions

We study the relation between quantum pumping of charge and the work exchanged with the driving potentials in a strongly interacting ac-driven quantum dot. We work in the large-interaction limit and in the adiabatic pumping regime, and we develop a treatment that combines the time-dependent slave-boson approximation with linear response in the rate of change of the ac-potentials. We find that the time evolution of the system can be described in terms of equilibrium solutions at every time. We analyze the effect of the electronic interactions on the performance of the dot when operating as a quantum motor. The main two effects of the interactions are a shift of the resonance and an enhancement of the efficiency with respect to a non-interacting dot. This is due to the appearance of additional ac-parameters accounting for the interactions that increase the pumping of particles while decreasing the conductance.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Correlation-driven Lifshitz transition and orbital order in a two-band Hubbard model

We study by dynamical mean field theory the ground state of a quarter-filled Hubbard model of two bands with different bandwidths. At half-filling, this model is known to display an orbital selective Mott transition, with the narrower band undergoing Mott localisation while the wider one being still itinerant. At quarter-filling, the physical behaviour is different and to some extent reversed. The interaction generates an effective crystal field splitting, absent in the Hamiltonian, that tends to empty the narrower band in favour of the wider one, which also become more correlated than the former at odds with the orbital selective paradigm. Upon increasing the interaction, the depletion of the narrower band can continue till it empties completely and the system undergoes a topological Lifshitz transition into a half-filled single-band metal that eventually turns insulating. Alternatively, when the two bandwidths are not too different, a first order Mott transition intervenes before the Lifshitz's one. The properties of the Mott insulator are significantly affected by the interplay between spin and orbital degrees of freedom.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Selective insulators and anomalous responses in correlated fermions with synthetic extra dimensions

We study a three-component fermionic fluid in an optical lattice in a regime of intermediate-to- strong interactions allowing for Raman processes connecting the different components, similar to those used to create artificial gauge fields (AGF). Using Dynamical Mean-Field Theory we show that the combined effect of interactions and AGFs induces a variety of anomalous phases in which different components of the fermionic fluid display qualitative differences, i.e., the physics is flavor-selective. Remarkably, the different components can display huge differences in the correlation effects, measured by their effective masses and non-monotonic behavior of their occupation number as a function of the chemical potential, signaling a sort of selective instability of the overall stable quantum fluid.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Ultrafast orbital manipulation and Mott physics in multi-band correlated materials

Multiorbital correlated materials are often on the verge of multiple electronic phases (metallic, insulating, super- conducting, charge and orbitally ordered), which can be explored and controlled by small changes of the external parameters. The use of ultrashort light pulses as a mean to transiently modify the band population is leading to fundamentally new results. In this paper we will review recent advances in the field and we will discuss the pos- sibility of manipulating the orbital polarization in correlated multi-band solid state systems. This technique can provide new understanding of the ground state properties of many interesting classes of quantum materials and offers a new tool to induce transient emergent properties with no counterpart at equilibrium. We will address: the discovery of high-energy Mottness in superconducting copper oxides and its impact on our understanding of the cuprate phase diagram; the instability of the Mott insulating phase in photoexcited vanadium oxides; the manipulation of orbital-selective correlations in iron-based superconductors; the pumping of local electronic excitons and the consequent transient effective quasiparticle cooling in alkali-doped fullerides. Finally, we will discuss a novel route to manipulate the orbital polarization in a a k-resolved fashion.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Pauli metallic ground-state in Hubbard clusters with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

We study the "phase diagram" of a Hubbard plaquette with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We show that the peculiar way in which Rashba coupling breaks the spin-rotational symmetry of the Hubbard model allows a mixing of singlet and triplet components in the ground-state that slows down and it changes the nature of the Mott transition and of the Mott insulating phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Dynamics of correlation-frozen antinodal quasiparticles in superconducting cuprates

Many puzzling properties of high-$T_c$ superconducting (HTSC) copper oxides have deep roots in the nature of the antinodal quasiparticles, the elementary excitations with wavevector parallel to the Cu-O bonds. These electronic states are most affected by the onset of antiferromagnetic correlations and charge instabilities and they host the maximum of the anisotropic superconducting gap and pseudogap. In this work, we use time-resolved extreme-ultra-violet (EUV) photoemission with proper photon energy (18 eV) and time-resolution (50 fs) to disclose the ultrafast dynamics of the antinodal states in a prototypical HTSC cuprate. After photoinducing a non-thermal charge redistribution within the Cu and O orbitals, we reveal a dramatic momentum-space differentiation of the transient electron dynamics. While the nodal quasi-particle distribution is heated up as in a conventional metal, new quasiparticle states transiently emerge at the antinodes, similarly to what is expected for a photoexcited Mott insulator, where the frozen charges can be released by an impulsive excitation. This transient antinodal metallicity is mapped into the dynamics of the O-2$p$ bands thus directly demonstrating the intertwining between the low- and high-energy scales that is typical of correlated materials. Our results suggest that the correlation-driven freezing of the electrons moving along the Cu-O bonds, analogous to the Mott localization mechanism, constitutes the starting point for any model of high-$T_c$ superconductivity and other exotic phases of HTSC cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Localised vibrations in superconducting YBCO revealed by ultra-fast optical coherent spectroscopy

The interaction between phonons and high-energy excitations of electronic origin in cuprates and their role in the superconducting mechanisms is still controversial. Here we use coherent vibrational time-domain spectroscopy together with density functional and dynamical mean-field theory calculations to establish a direct link between the c-axis phonon modes and the in-plane electronic charge excitations in optimally doped YBCO. The non-equilibrium Raman tensor is measured by means of the broadband 'coherent-phonon' response in pump-probe experiments and is qualitatively described by our model using DFT in frozen phonon approximation plus single band DMFT to account for the electronic correlations. The major outcome of our experimental and theoretical study is to establish the link between out-of-plane copper ions displacements and the in-plane electronic correlations, and to estimate at few unit cells the correlation length of the associated phonon mode. The approach introduced here could help revealing the complex interplay between fluctuations of different nature and spatial correlation in several strongly-correlated materials.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Mottness at finite doping and charge-instabilities in cuprates

The intrinsic instability of underdoped copper oxides towards inhomogeneous states is one of the central puzzles of the physics of correlated materials. The influence of the Mott physics on the doping-temperature phase diagram of copper oxides represents a major issue that is subject of intense theoretical and experimental effort. Here, we investigate the ultrafast electron dynamics in prototypical single-layer Bi-based cuprates at the energy scale of the O-2p$\rightarrow$Cu-3d charge-transfer (CT) process. We demonstrate a clear evolution of the CT excitations from incoherent and localized, as in a Mott insulator, to coherent and delocalized, as in a conventional metal. This reorganization of the high-energy degrees of freedom occurs at the critical doping p$_{cr}\simeq$0.16 irrespective of the temperature, and it can be well described by dynamical mean field theory calculations. We argue that the onset of the low-temperature charge instabilities is the low-energy manifestation of the underlying Mottness that characterizes the p<p$_{cr}$ region of the phase diagram. This discovery sets a new framework for theories of charge order and low-temperature phases in underdoped copper oxides.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

Mott transitions with partially-filled correlated orbitals

We investigate the metal-insulator Mott transition in a generalized version of the periodic Anderson model, in which a band of itinerant electrons is hybridrized with a narrow and strongly correlated band. Using dynamical mean-field theory, we show that the precondition for a Mott transition is an integer total filling of the two bands, while for an integer constant occupation of the correlated band the system remains a correlated metal at arbitrary large interaction strength. We picture the transition at a non-integer filling of the correlated orbital as the Mott localization of the singlet states between itinerant and strongly interacting electrons, having occupation of one per lattice site. We show that the Mott transition is of the first-order and we characterize the nature of the resulting insulating state with respect to relevant physical parameters, such as the charge-transfer energy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2016

Magneto-electric coupling in type-I multiferroic ScFeO$_3$

We investigate the electronic structure and the ferroelectric properties of the recently discovered multiferroic ScFeO$_3$ by means of ab-initio calculations. The $3d$ manifold of Fe in the half-filled configuration naturally favors an antiferromagnetic ordering, with a theoretical estimate of the antiferromagnetic Néel temperature in good agreement with the experimental values. We find that the inversion symmetry-breaking is driven by the off-centering of Sc atoms, which results in a large ferroelectric polarization of $\sim$105\,$μ$C/cm$^{2}$. Surprisingly the ferroelectric polarization is sensitive to the local magnetization of the Fe atoms resulting in a large negative magnetoelectric interaction. This behavior is unexpected in type-I multiferroic materials because the magnetic and ferroelectric orders are of different origins.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗