Phase separation and competition of superconductivity and magnetism in the two-dimensional Hubbard model: From strong to weak coupling

TL;DR

This study investigates the interplay of superconductivity, magnetism, and Mott-insulating states in the two-dimensional Hubbard model, revealing a critical interaction strength where phase behavior changes from discontinuous to continuous transitions.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the phase transitions and the critical interaction strength in the Hubbard model, highlighting the relation between phase separation and Mott physics.

Findings

Discontinuous transition with phase separation at strong coupling.

Continuous magnetic transition below critical U (~4).

Mott transition coincides with the emergence of finite charge compressibility.

Abstract

Cooperation and competition between the antiferromagnetic, d-wave superconducting and Mott-insulating states are explored for the two-dimensional Hubbard model including nearest and next-nearest-neighbor hoppings at zero temperature. Using the variational cluster approach with clusters of different shapes and sizes up to 10 sites, it is found that the doping-driven transition from a phase with microscopic coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity to a purely superconducting phase is discontinuous for strong interaction and accompanied by phase separation. At half-filling the system is in an antiferromagnetic Mott-insulating state with vanishing charge compressibility. Upon decreasing the interaction strength U below a certain critical value of roughly U=4 (in units of the nearest-neighbor hopping), however, the filling-dependent magnetic transition changes its character and becomes continuous. Phase separation or, more carefully, the tendency towards the formation of inhomogeneous states disappears. This critical value is in contrast to previous studies, where a much larger value was obtained. Moreover, we find that the system at half-filling undergoes the Mott transition from an insulator to a state with a finite charge compressibility at essentially the same value. The weakly correlated state at half-filling exhibits superconductivity microscopically admixed to the antiferromagnetic order. This scenario suggests a close relation between phase separation and the Mott-insulator physics.