Charge-spin separation in one-dimensional metals and insulators

TL;DR

This paper explores the phenomenon of charge-spin separation in one-dimensional materials, analyzing its theoretical basis and experimental signatures, especially in photoemission and transport measurements, with a focus on organic conductors.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of charge-spin separation in 1D Luttinger and Luther-Emery liquids, and evaluates its experimental observability in organic conductors.

Findings

Spectral function shows two dispersing peaks for charge and spin excitations.

Charge-spin separation is likely not observed in studied organic conductors.

Most organic conductors are better described as fluctuating Peierls insulators.

Abstract

I discuss origin and possible experimental manifestations of charge-spin separation in 1D Luttinger and Luther-Emery liquids, the latter describing 1D Mott and Peierls insulators and superconductors. Emphasis is on photoemission where the spectral function generically shows two dispersing peaks associated with the collective charge and spin excitations, and on transport. I analyse the temperature dependences of the charge and spin conductivities of two organic conductors and conclude that most likely, charge-spin separation is not realized there and that they can be described as fluctuating Peierls insulators.