Charge modulation as fingerprints of phase-string triggered interference
Charge order appears to be an ubiquitous phenomenon in doped Mott insulators, which is currently under intense experimental and theoretical investigations particularly in the high T c cuprates. This phenomenon is conventionally understood in terms of Hartree-Fock-type mean-field theory. Here we demonstrate a mechanism for charge modulation which is rooted in the many-particle quantum physics arising in the strong coupling limit. Specifically, we consider the problem of a single hole in a bipartite t - J ladder. As a remnant of the fermion signs, the hopping hole picks up subtle phases pending the fluctuating spins, the so-called phase-string effect. We demonstrate the presence of charge modulations in the density matrix renormalization group solutions which disappear when the phase strings are switched off. This form of charge modulation can be understood analytically in a path-integral language with a mean-field-like approximation adopted, showing that the phase strings give rise to constructive interferences leading to self-localization. When the latter occurs, left- and right-moving propagating modes emerge inside the localization volume and their interference is responsible for the real space charge modulation.
- Research Organization:
- SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76SF00515
- OSTI ID:
- 1335091
- Report Number(s):
- SLAC-PUB-16743; PRBMDO; arXiv:1412.3462
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 92, Issue 3; ISSN 1098-0121
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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