Many-variable variational Monte-Carlo study of superconductivity in two-band Hubbard models with an incipient band

TL;DR

This study uses variational Monte-Carlo methods to explore how incipient bands near the Fermi level can enhance superconductivity in two-band Hubbard models, highlighting the role of spin fluctuations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that incipient bands can boost superconductivity in strongly correlated systems, using a many-variable variational Monte-Carlo approach.

Findings

Superconductivity is enhanced when an incipient band is near the Fermi level.

Suppression of near-zero-energy spin fluctuations correlates with superconductivity enhancement.

Finite energy spin fluctuations are key to the observed effects.

Abstract

We study superconductivity in two-band models where one of the bands does or does not intersect the Fermi level depending on the parameter values. Applying a many-variable variational Monte-Carlo method for a Hubbard model on two-leg ladder and bilayer square lattices, we show that superconductivity can be enhanced in a parameter regime where the edge of one of the bands is near the Fermi energy, that is, when the band is incipient. The resemblence of the present results to those obtained by a weak coupling method in a recent study suggests that, even in the large $U$ regime, the suppression of the near-zero-energy spin fluctuations and the development of finite energy spin fluctuations are the key factors for the enhancement of superconductivity by an incipient band.