# Pseudogap, van Hove Singularity, Maximum in Entropy and Specific Heat for Hole-Doped Mott Insulators

## TL;DR

This paper investigates the pseudogap phenomenon in hole-doped Mott insulators, linking it to a finite-doping Mott transition, supported by theoretical modeling and experimental comparisons.

## Contribution

It demonstrates that the pseudogap temperature aligns with a doping-dependent Mott transition, providing a unified theoretical framework supported by experimental data.

## Key findings

- Pseudogap temperature $T^*( ext{d})$ matches phase transition temperature $T^*_ ext{phase}( ext{d})$
- Quantum critical behavior observed in electronic specific heat
- Supports pseudogap as a finite-doping Mott transition extension

## Abstract

The first indication of a pseudogap in cuprates came from a sudden decrease of NMR Knight shift at a doping-dependent temperature $T^*(\delta)$. Since then, experiments have found phase transitions at a lower $T^*_\text{phase}(\delta)$. Using plaquette cellular dynamical mean-field for the square-lattice Hubbard model at high temperature, where the results are reliable, we show that $T^*(\delta)$ shares many features of $T^*_\text{phase}(\delta)$. The remarkable agreement with several experiments, including quantum critical behavior of the electronic specific heat, supports the view that the pseudogap is controlled by a finite-doping extension of the Mott transition. We propose further experimental tests.