arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T. Herrmann.
This document summarises the talks and discussions happened during the VBSCan Split17 workshop, the first general meeting of the VBSCan COST Action network. This collaboration is aiming at a consistent and coordinated study of vector-boson scattering from the phenomenological and experimental point of view, for the best exploitation of the data that will be delivered by existing and future particle colliders.
We report on observation of pronounced terahertz radiation-induced magneto-resistivity oscillations in AlGaAs/GaAs two-dimensional electron systems, the THz analog of the microwave induced resistivity oscillations (MIRO). Applying high power radiation of a pulsed molecular laser we demonstrate that MIRO, so far observed at low power only, are not destroyed even at very high intensities. Experiments with radiation intensity ranging over five orders of magnitude from $0.1$ W/cm$^2$ to $10^4$ W/cm$^2$ reveal high-power saturation of the MIRO amplitude, which is well described by an empirical fit function $I/(1 + I/I_s)^\beta$ with $\beta \sim 1$. The saturation intensity Is is of the order of tens of W/cm$^2$ and increases by six times by increasing the radiation frequency from $0.6$ to $1.1$ THz. The results are discussed in terms of microscopic mechanisms of MIRO and compared to nonlinear effects observed earlier at significantly lower excitation frequencies.
We report on the study of terahertz radiation induced MIRO-like oscillations of magneto-resistivity in GaAs heterostructures. Our experiments provide an answer on two most intriguing questions - effect of radiation helicity and the role of the edges - yielding crucial information for understanding of the MIRO origin. Moreover, we demonstrate that the range of materials exhibiting radiation-induced magneto-oscillations can be largely extended by using high-frequency radiation.
We report on the observation of a terahertz radiation induced photon drag effect in epitaxially grown $n$- and $p$-type (Bi$_{1-x}$Sb$_{x}$)$_{2}$Te$_{3}$ three dimensional topological insulators with different antimony concentrations $x$ varying from 0 to 1. We demonstrate that the excitation with polarized terahertz radiation results in a $dc$ electric photocurrent. While at normal incidence a current arises due to the photogalvanic effect in the surface states, at oblique incidence it is outweighed by the trigonal photon drag effect. The developed microscopic model and theory show that the photon drag photocurrent is due to the dynamical momentum alignment by time and space dependent radiation electric field and implies the radiation induced asymmetric scattering in the electron momentum space.
We report on the observation of photogalvanic effects in epitaxially grown Sb_2Te_3 three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators (TI). We show that asymmetric scattering of Dirac electrons driven back and forth by the terahertz electric field results in a dc electric current. Due to the "symmetry filtration" the dc current is generated in the surface electrons only and provides an opto-electronic access to probe the electric transport in TI, surface domains orientation and details of electron scattering even in 3D TI at room temperature where conventional surface electron transport is usually hindered by the high carrier density in the bulk.
We investigate the possibility and stability of bandferromagnetism in the single-band Hubbard model. This model poses a highly non-trivial many-body problem the general solution of which has not been found up to now. Approximations are still unavoidable. Starting from a simple two-pole ansatz for the spectral density our approach is systematically improved by focusing on the influence of quasiparticle damping and the correct weak-and strong coupling behaviour. The compatibility of the different aproximative steps with decisive moment sum rules is analysed and the importance of a spin-dependent band shift mediated by higher correlation functions is worked out. Results are presented in terms of temperature- and band occupation-dependent quasiparticle densities of states and band structures as well as spontaneous magnetisations, susceptibilities and Curie temperatures for varying electron densities and coupling strengths. Comparison is made to numerically essentially exact Quantum Monte Carlo calculations recently done by other authors using dynamical mean field theory for infinite-dimensional lattices. The main conclusion will be that the Hubbard model provides a qualitatively correct description of bandferromagnetism if quasiparticle damping and selfconsistent spin-dependent bandshifts are properly taken into account.
The influence of uncorrelated (nonmagnetic) overlayers on the magnetic properties of thin itinerant-electron films is investigated within the single-band Hubbard model. The Coulomb correlation between the electrons in the ferromagnetic layers is treated by using the spectral density approach (SDA). It is found that the presence of nonmagnetic layers has a strong effect on the magnetic properties of thin films. The Curie temperatures of very thin films are modified by the uncorrelated overlayers. The quasiparticle density of states is used to analyze the results. In addition, the coupling between the ferromagnetic layers and the nonmagnetic layers is discussed in detail. The coupling depends on the band occupation of the nonmagnetic layers, while it is almost independent of the number of the nonmagnetic layers. The induced polarization in the nonmagnetic layers shows a long-range decreasing oscillatory behavior and it depends on the coupling between ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic layers.
The stability of ferromagnetism at the surface at finite temperatures is investigated within the strongly correlated Hubbard model on a semi-infinite lattice. Due to the reduced surface coordination number the effective Coulomb correlation is enhanced at the surface compared to the bulk. Therefore, within the well-known Stoner-picture of band ferromagnetism one would expect the magnetic stability at the surface to be enhanced as well. However, by taking electron correlations into account well beyond the Hartree-Fock (Stoner) level we find the opposite behavior: As a function of temperature the magnetization of the surface layer decreases faster than in the bulk. By varying the hopping integral within the surface layer this behavior becomes even more pronounced. A reduced hopping integral at the surface tends to destabilize surface ferromagnetism whereas the magnetic stability gets enhanced by an increased hopping integral. This behavior represents a pure correlation effect and can be understood in terms of general arguments which are based on exact results in the limit of strong Coulomb interaction.
The magnetic behavior of thin ferromagnetic itinerant-electron films is investigated within the strongly correlated single-band Hubbard model. For its approximate solution we apply a generalization of the modified alloy analogy (MAA) to deal with the modifications due to the reduced translational symmetry. The theory is based on exact results in the limit of strong Coulomb interaction which are important for a reliable description of ferromagnetism. Within the MAA the actual type of the alloy analogy is determined selfconsistently. The MAA allows, in particular, the investigation of quasiparticle lifetime effects in the paramagnetic as well as the ferromagnetic phase. For thin fcc(100) and fcc(111) films the layer magnetizations are discussed as a function of temperature as well as film thickness. The magnetization at the surface-layer is found to be reduced compared to the inner layers. This reduction is stronger in fcc(100) than in fcc(111) films. The magnetic behavior can be microscopically understood by means of the layer-dependent spectral density and the quasiparticle density of states. The quasiparticle lifetime that corresponds to the width of the quasiparticle peaks in the spectral density is found to be strongly spin- and temperature-dependent.
The sum rule for the moments of the spectral density is discussed for the single-band Hubbard model. It is shown that respecting the sum rule up to the order m=3 is conceptually important for a qualitatively correct description of the quasi-particle band structure in the strong-correlation regime. Different analytical approximations for the self-energy are analyzed with respect to their compatibility with the moment sum rule. To estimate the practical usefulness of the sum rule, correlation functions and dynamical quantities are determined. The results obtained within the various approximation schemes of different complexity are compared with each other and also with essentially exact results available for infinite-dimensional lattices. It turns out that the m=3 moment is rather unimportant for the paramagnetic phase on the hyper-cubic lattice. Contrary, it decisively influences the magnetic phase boundary as well as the critical temperature for the ferromagnetic phase on an fcc-type lattice.
An analytical expression for the self-energy of the infinite-dimensional Hubbard model is proposed that interpolates between different exactly solvable limits. We profit by the combination of two recent approaches that are based on the alloy-analogy (Hubbard-III) solution: The modified alloy-analogy (MAA) which focuses on the strong-coupling regime, and the Edwards-Hertz approach (EHA) which correctly recovers the weak-coupling regime. Investigating the high-energy expansion of the EHA self-energy, it turns out that the EHA reproduces the first three exactly known moments of the spectral density only. This may be insufficient for the investigation of spontaneous magnetism. The analysis of the high-energy behavior of the CPA self-consistency equation allows for a new interpretation of the MAA: The MAA is the only (two-component) alloy-analogy that correctly takes into account the first four moments of the spectral density. For small U, however, the MAA does not reproduce Fermi-liquid properties. The defects of the MAA as well as of the EHA are avoided in the new approach. We discuss the prospects of the theory and present numerical results in comparison with essentially exact quantum Monte Carlo data. The correct high-energy behavior of the self-energy is proved to be a decisive ingredient for a reliable description of spontaneous magnetism.
A self-consistent spectral density approach (SDA) is applied to the Hubbard model to investigate the possibility of spontaneous ferro- and antiferromagnetism. Starting point is a two-pole ansatz for the single-electron spectral density, the free parameter of which can be interpreted as energies and spectral weights of respective quasiparticle excitations. They are determined by fitting exactly calculated spectral moments. The resulting self-energy consists of a local and a non-local part. The higher correlation functions entering the spin-dependent local part can be expressed as functionals of the single-electron spectral density. Under certain conditions for the decisive model parameters (Coulomb interaction U, Bloch-bandwidth W, band occupation n, temperature T) the local part of the self-energy gives rise to a spin-dependent band shift, thus allowing for spontaneous band magnetism. As a function of temperature, second order phase transitions are found away from half filling, but close to half filling the system exhibits a tendency towards first order transitions. The non-local self-energy part is determined by use of proper two-particle spectral densities. Its main influence concerns a (possibly spin-dependent) narrowing of the quasiparticle bands with the tendency to stabilize magnetic solutions. The non-local self-energy part disappears in the limit of infinite dimensions. We present a full evaluation of the Hubbard model in terms of quasiparticle densities of states, quasiparticle dispersions, magnetic phase diagram, critical temperatures (Tc, Tn) as well as spin and particle correlation functions. Special attention is focused on the non-locality of the electronic self-energy, for which some rigorous limiting cases are worked out.
The temperature-driven reorientation transition which, up to now, has been studied by use of Heisenberg-type models only, is investigated within an itinerant-electron model. We consider the Hubbard model for a thin fcc(100) film together with the dipole interaction and a layer-dependent anisotropy field. The isotropic part of the model is treated by use of a generalization of the spectral-density approach to the film geometry. The magnetic properties of the film are investigated as a function of temperature and film thickness and are analyzed in detail with help of the spin- and layer-dependent quasiparticle density of states. By calculating the temperature dependence of the second-order anisotropy constants we find that both types of reorientation transitions, from out-of-plane to in-plane (``Fe-type'') and from in-plane to out-of-plane (``Ni-type'') magnetization are possible within our model. In the latter case the inclusion of a positive volume anisotropy is vital. The reorientation transition is mediated by a strong reduction of the surface magnetization with respect to the inner layers as a function of temperature and is found to depend significantly on the total band occupation.
By use of the spectral density approach the influence of the lattice structure on the possibility of ferromagnetism in the single band Hubbard model is investigated. The d=\infty hypercubic lattice does not show magnetic phase transitions of second order irrespective of the strength of the Coulomb coupling. However, first order transitions to finite magnetic moments, not visible as singularities of the paramagnetic susceptibility, may appear in the very strong coupling regime. In d=3 second order transitions are found but only for very strong couplings, where the non-locality of the electronic self-energy acts in favour of the spontaneous magnetic moment. The influence of the non-local part of the self-energy is particularly strong for lattices with small coordination number. The non-bipartite fcc lattice exhibits saturated ferromagnetism for all band occupations $1\le n\le 2$ while for less than half filled bands ($0\le n\le 1$) the system remains in any case paramagnetic, and that for d=3 as well as d=\infty. The Curie temperature runs through a maximum at about $n=1.4$ and vanishes for $n\to 1$ and $n\to 2$.