Surface dead layer for quasiparticles near a Mott transition

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that near a Mott transition, a surface dead layer forms where quasiparticles are suppressed, with the dead layer depth diverging at the transition, supported by theoretical modeling and experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a surface dead layer associated with quasiparticle suppression near a Mott transition, linking surface phenomena to bulk properties.

Findings

Dead layer depth diverges at the Mott transition.

Photoemission data supports the dead layer formation.

Quasiparticle suppression occurs exponentially below the surface.

Abstract

Electron quasiparticles are progressively weakened by correlations upon approaching a continuos Mott metal insulator transition in a bulk solid. We show that corresponding to the bulk weakening, a dead layer forms below the surface of the solid, where quasiparticles are exponentially suppressed. The surface dead layer depth is a bulk property, and diverges when the Mott transition is approached. We describe this phenomenon in a Hubbard model within a self-consistent Gutzwiller approximation. Photoemission data of Rodolakis et al. in V2O3 appear to be in accord with this physical picture.