Robust spin and charge excitations throughout high-$T_c$-cuprate phase diagram from incipient Mottness

TL;DR

This study reveals that incipient Mottness influences magnetic and charge excitations across the entire phase diagram of high-$T_c$ cuprates, challenging weak-coupling models and aligning with recent experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a strong-coupling extended Hubbard model analysis with a modified $1/N$ expansion, showing qualitative effects of Mottness on excitations throughout the phase diagram.

Findings

Magnetic modes persist up to overdoped regime.

Weak-coupling RPA fails for underdoped samples.

Prediction of a discrete charge mode splitting from the electron-hole continuum.

Abstract

The generic phase diagram of lightly hole-doped high-$T_c$-cuprates hosts antiferromagnetic insulating phase with well-defined spin-wave excitations. Contrary to the weak-coupling prediction, these modes persist up to the overdoped metallic regime as intense and dispersive paramagnons. Here we report on our study of the low-energy magnetic and charge excitations within the extended Hubbard model at strong-coupling, using a modified $1/N$ expansion method with a variational state serving as the saddle point solution. Despite clear separation of magnetic and Hubbard-$U$ energy scales, we find that incipient Mottness affects qualitatively dispersions and widths of magnetic modes throughout entire phase diagram. The obtained magnetic and charge dynamical structure factors agree semi-quantitatively with recent resonant $X$-ray and neutron scattering data for $\mathrm{La_{2-\mathit{x}}Sr_\mathit{x}CuO_4}$ and $\mathrm{(Bi,Pb)_2(Sr,La)_2CuO_{6+\delta}}$ at all available doping levels. The weak-coupling random-phase-approximation fails already for underdoped samples, pointing to the non-trivial intertwining of distinct energy scales in cuprate superconductors. The existence of a discrete charge mode which splits off the electron-hole continuum is also predicted.