arXiv subjects

Z. Y. Weng

Publications and source records attributed to Z. Y. Weng.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2005

Antiferromagnetism and d-wave superconductivity in (doped) Mott insulators: A wave function approach

We propose a class of wave functions that provide a unified description of antiferromagnetism and d-wave superconductivity in (doped) Mott insulators. The wave function has a Jastrow form and prohibits double occupancies. In the absence of holes, the wave function describes antiferromagnetism accurately. Off diagonal long range order develops at finite doping and the superconducting order parameter has d-wave symmetry. We also show how nodal quasiparticles and neutral spin excitations can be constructed from this wave function.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Spin dynamics in a doped-Mott-insulator superconductor

We present a systematic study of spin dynamics in a superconducting ground state, which itself is a doped-Mott-insulator and can correctly reduce to an antiferromagnetic (AF) state at half-filling with an AF long-range order (AFLRO). Such a doped Mott insulator is described by a mean-field theory based on the phase string formulation of the t-J model. We show that the spin wave excitation in the AFLRO state at half-filling evolves into a resonancelike peak at a finite energy in the superconducting state, which is located around the AF wave vectors. The width of such a resonancelike peak in momentum space decides a spin correlation length scale which is inversely proportional to the square root of doping concentration, while the energy of the resonancelike peak scales linearly with the doping concentration at low doping. An important prediction of the theory is that, while the total spin sum rule is satisfied at different doping concentrations, the weight of the resonancelike peak does not vanish, but is continuously saturated to the weight of the AFLRO at zero-doping limit. Besides the low-energy resonancelike peak, we also show that the high-energy excitations still track the spin wave dispersion in momentum space, contributing to a significant portion of the total spin sum rule. The fluctuational effect beyond the mean-field theory is also examined, which is related to the broadening of the resonancelike peak in energy space. In particular, we discuss the incommensurability of the spin dynamics by pointing out that its visibility is strongly tied to the low-energy fluctuations below the resonancelike peak. We finally investigate the interlayer coupling effect on the spin dynamics as a function of doping, by considering a bilayer system.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Microscopic origin of local moments in a zinc-doped high-$T_{c}$ superconductor

The formation of a local moment around a zinc impurity in the high-$T_{c}$ cuprate superconductors is studied within the framework of the bosonic resonating-valence-bond (RVB) description of the $t-J$ model. A topological origin of the local moment has been shown based on the phase string effect in the bosonic RVB theory. It is found that such an $S=1/2$ moment distributes near the zinc in a form of staggered magnetic moments at the copper sites. The corresponding magnetic properties, including NMR spin relaxation rate, uniform spin susceptibility, and dynamic spin susceptibility, etc., calculated based on the theory, are consistent with the experimental measurements. Our work suggests that the zinc substitution in the cuprates provide an important experimental evidence for the RVB nature of local physics in the original (zinc free) state.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Self-localization of holes in a lightly doped Mott insulator

We show that lightly doped holes will be self-trapped in an antiferromagnetic spin background at low-temperatures, resulting in a spontaneous translational symmetry breaking. The underlying Mott physics is responsible for such novel self-localization of charge carriers. Interesting transport and dielectric properties are found as the consequences, including large doping-dependent thermopower and dielectric constant, low-temperature variable-range-hopping resistivity, as well as high-temperature strange-metal-like resistivity, which are consistent with experimental measurements in the high-T$_c$ cuprates. Disorder and impurities only play a minor and assistant role here.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2003

Strictly In-Plane Vortex-like Excitations in Pseudogap Region of Underdoped $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$ Single Crystals

Nernst effect has been measured for an underdoped and an optimally doped $La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4$ single crystal with the magnetic field applied along different directions. For both samples, when $H \|$ c, a significant Nernst voltage appears above $T_c$ and keeps measurable up to a high temperature (100 K) as reported by Xu et al.[ Nature 406, 486(2000) ]. However, when $H \|$ a-b plane the Nernst signal drops below the noise level quickly above $T_c$ for the underdoped sample. Moreover, the in-plane Nernst data with field at different angles shows a nice scaling behavior with the c-axis component of the field. All these give strong indication for strictly in-plane vortex-like excitations in pseudo-gap region.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Spontaneous Vortex Phase in the Bosonic RVB Theory

In the description of spin-charge separation based on the phase string theory of the t-J model, spinon excitations are vortices in the superconducting state. Thermally excited spinons destroy phase coherence, leading to a new phase characterized by the presence of free spinon vortices at temperatures, T_c<T<T_v. The temperature scale T_v at which holon condensation occurs marks the onset of pairing amplitude, and is related to the spin pseudogap temperature T^*. The phase below T_v, called the spontaneous vortex phase, shows novel transport properties before phase coherence sets in at T_c. We discuss the Nernst effect as an intrinsic characterization of such a phase, in comparison with recent experimental measurements.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2001

Ginzburg-Landau theory of an RVB superconductor

We present a Ginzburg-Landau formulation of the bosonic resonating valence bond (RVB) theory of superconductivity. The superconducting order parameter is characterized by phase vortices that describe spinon excitations and the transition to the superconducting state occurs when such phase vortices (un)bind. We show that the boson RVB theory always leads to hc/2e flux quanta and that the presence of a trapped spin-1/2 moment inside a vortex core gives rise to observable consequences for the low temperature field dependent specific heat. We also show that the cores of magnetic fluxoids exhibit enhanced antiferromagnetic correlations.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2001

Superconducting Transition in Doped Antiferromagnet

We investigate the superconducting transition in a doped antiferromagnet. Based on the phase string framework of the t-J model, an effective model describing the phase-coherence transition is obtained and is studied through duality transformation and renormalization group treatment . We show that such a topological transition is controlled by spin excitations, with the transition temperature determined by a characterisitic spin excitation energy. The existence of an Ising-like long range order of staggered current loops is also discussed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Spectral function of the electron in a superconducting RVB state

We present a model calculation of the spectral function of an electron in a superconducting resonating valence bond (RVB) state. The RVB state, described by the phase-string mean field theory is characterized by three important features: (i) spin-charge separation, (ii) short range antiferromagnetic correlations, and (iii) holon condensation. The results of our calculation are in good agreement with data obtained from Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) in superconducting Bi 2212 at optimal doping concentration.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Spin-charge separation: From one hole to finite doping

In the presence of nonlocal phase shift effects, a quasiparticle can remain topologically stable even in a spin-charge separation state due to the confinement effect introduced by the phase shifts at finite doping. True deconfinement only happens in the zero-doping limit where a bare hole can lose its integrity and decay into holon and spinon elementary excitations. The Fermi surface structure is completely different in these two cases, from a large band-structure-like one to four Fermi points in one-hole case, and we argue that the so-called underdoped regime actually corresponds to a situation in between.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Spin-charge separation in the single hole doped Mott antiferromagnet

The motion of a single hole in a Mott antiferromagnet is investigated based on the t-J model. An exact expression of the energy spectrum is obtained, in which the irreparable phase string effect [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 5102 (1996)] is explicitly present. By identifying the phase string effect with spin backflow, we point out that spin-charge separation must exist in such a system: the doped hole has to decay into a neutral spinon and a spinless holon, together with the phase string. We show that while the spinon remains coherent, the holon motion is deterred by the phase string, resulting in its localization in space. We calculate the electron spectral function which explains the line shape of the spectral function as well as the ``quasiparticle'' spectrum observed in angle-resolved photoemission experiments. Other analytic and numerical approaches are discussed based on the present framework.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Understanding high-Tc cuprates based on the phase string theory of doped antiferromagnet

We present a self-consistent RVB theory which unifies the metallic (superconducting) phase with the half-filling antiferromagnetic (AF) phase. Two crucial factors in this theory include the RVB condensation which controls short-range AF spin correlations and the phase string effect introduced by hole hopping as a key doping effect. We discuss both the uniform and non-uniform mean-field solutions and show the unique features of the characteristic spin energy scale, superconducting transition temperature, and the phase diagram, which are all consistent with the experimental measurements of high-$T_c$ cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2000

Quantum Hall effect at weak magnetic field: New float-up picture

The fate of integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) at weak magnetic field is studied numerically in the presence of {\it correlated} disorders. We find a systematic {\it float-up} and {\it merging} picture for extended levels on the low-energy side which results in direct transitions from higher-plateau IQHE states to the insulator. Such direct transitions are controlled by a quantum critical point with a {\it universal} scaling form of conductance. The phase diagram is in good agreement with recent experiments. The issue of continuum vs. lattice model is also discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2000

Nature of spin-charge separation

Quasiparticle properties are explored in an effective theory of the $t-J$ model which includes two important components: spin-charge separation and unrenormalizable phase shift. We show that the phase shift effect indeed causes the system to be a non-Fermi liquid as conjectured by Anderson on a general ground. But this phase shift also drastically changes a conventional perception of quasiparticles in a spin-charge separation state: an injected hole will remain {\em stable} due to the confinement of spinon and holon by the phase shift field despite the background is a spinon-holon sea. True {\em deconfinement} only happens in the {\em zero-doping} limit where a bare hole will lose its integrity and decay into holon and spinon elementary excitations. The Fermi surface structure is completely different in these two cases, from a large band-structure-like one to four Fermi points in one-hole case, and we argue that the so-called underdoped regime actually corresponds to a situation in between, where the ``gap-like'' effect is amplified further by a microscopic phase separation at low temperature. Unique properties of the single-electron propagator in both normal and superconducting states are studied by using the equation of motion method. We also comment on some of influential ideas proposed in literature related to the Mott-Hubbard insulator and offer a unified view based on the present consistent theory.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1999

Isotropic dispersion, line shape, and remnant Fermi surface in one hole problem

It is shown that the isotropic dispersion relation, line shape of the spectral function, and remnant Fermi surface found in recent photoemission experiment in insulating Ca_2CuO_2Cl_2 by Ronning et al.(Science, 282, 2067 (1998)) can be consistently explained by a direct holon hopping process which fundamentally undermines the conventional self-consistent Born approximation approach to the t-J model.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv1999

Phase Diagram of Integer Quantum Hall Effect

The phase diagram of integer quantum Hall effect is numerically determined in the tight-binding model, which can account for overall features of recently obtained experimental phase diagram. In particular, the quantum Hall plateaus are terminated by two distinct insulating phases, characterized by the Hall resistance with classic and quantized values, respectively, which is also in good agreement with experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv1999

Marginal Fermi Liquid with a Two-Dimensional Patched Fermi Surface

We consider a model composed of Landau quasiparticle states with patched Fermi surfaces (FS) sandwiched by states with flat FS to simulate the ``cold'' spot regions in cuprates. We calculate the one particle irreducible function and the self-energy up to two-loop order. Using renormalization group arguments we show that in the forward scattering channel the renormalized coupling constant is never infrared stable due to the flat FS sectors. Furthemore we show that the self-energy scales with energy as ${\rm Re} Σ\sim ω\ln ω$ as $ω\to 0$, and thus the Fermi liquid state within each FS patch is turned into a marginal Fermi liquid.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv1999

The two-leg t-J ladder: A mean-field description

Two-leg t-J ladders are investigated in the framework of a combination of the phase string formulation and bond-operator representation. We develope a mean-field theory in the strong rung interaction regime, i.e. $J_{\perp}\gg J, t$, which provides a unified description of the undoped insulating phase and the low doping phase --- the so-called C1S0 phase. Both of them are characterized by the resonating-valence-bond (RVB) order parameter, with gap opened up in all spin excitations. The ground state of the doped phase is intrinsically a superconductor with a d-wave symmetry, which is driven by the RVB correlations. The ground-state energy is in good agreement with numerical results. Phase separation is shown to occur beyond some critical value of J/t for given doping concentration. We also show that the spin gap in the doped phase is determined by quasi-particle-like excitations. The local structure of hole pairs as well as the spectra of various spin and charge modes are analyzed in comparison with other approaches.

cond-mat.str-el↗