Theory of antibound states in partially filled narrow band systems.

We present a theory of the dynamical two-particle response function in the Hubbard model based on the time-dependent Gutzwiller approximation. The results are in excellent agreement with exact diagonalization on small clusters and are reliable even for high densities, where the usual ladder approximation breaks down. We apply the theory to the computation of antibound states relevant for Auger spectroscopy and cold atom physics.

Magnetic superstructure in the two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet SrCu2(BO3)2.

We report the observation of magnetic superstructure in a magnetization plateau state of SrCu2(BO3)2, a frustrated quasi-two-dimensional quantum spin system. The Cu and B nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra at 35 millikelvin indicate an apparently discontinuous phase transition from uniform magnetization to a modulated superstructure near 27 tesla, above which a magnetization plateau at 1/8 of the full saturation has been observed. Comparison of the Cu NMR spectrum and the theoretical analysis of a Heisenberg spin model demonstrates the crystallization of itinerant triplets in the plateau phase within a large rhomboid unit cell (16 spins per layer) showing oscillations of the spin polarization. Thus, we are now in possession of an interesting model system to study a localization transition of strongly interacting quantum particles.

Superconductivity in the two-dimensional t-J model.

Using computational techniques, it is shown that pairing is a robust property of hole-doped antiferromagnetic insulators. In one dimension and for two-leg ladder systems, a BCS-like variational wave function with long-bond spin singlets and a Jastrow factor provides an accurate representation of the ground state of the t-J model, even though strong quantum fluctuations destroy the off-diagonal superconducting long-range order in this case. However, in two dimensions it is argued-and numerically confirmed using several techniques, especially quantum Monte Carlo-that quantum fluctuations are not strong enough to suppress superconductivity.

Stripes and spin incommensurabilities are favored by lattice anisotropies.

Structural distortions in cuprate materials give a natural origin for anisotropies in electron properties. We study a modified one-band t-J model in which we allow for different hoppings and antiferromagnetic couplings in the two spatial directions (t(x) not equal to t(y) and Jx not equal to J(y)). Incommensurate peaks in the spin structure factor show up only in the presence of a lattice anisotropy, whereas charge correlations, indicating enhanced fluctuations at incommensurate wave vectors, are present but almost unaffected with respect to the isotropic case.

Resonating valence bond wave functions for strongly frustrated spin systems.

The resonating-valence-bond (RVB) theory for two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnets is shown to be the correct paradigm for large enough "quantum frustration." This scenario, proposed a long time ago but never confirmed by microscopic calculations, is strongly supported by a new type of variational wave function, which is extremely close to the exact ground state of the J(1)-J(2) Heisenberg model for 0.4 less than approximately J(2)/J(1) less than approximately 0.5. This wave function is proposed to represent the generic spin-half RVB ground state in spin liquids.

Nagaoka ferromagnetism in the two-dimensional infinite-U Hubbard model.

We present different numerical calculations based on variational quantum Monte Carlo simulations supporting a ferromagnetic ground state for finite and small hole densities in the two-dimensional infinite-U Hubbard model. Moreover, by studying the energies of different total spin sectors, these calculations strongly suggest that the paramagnetic phase is unstable against a phase with a partial polarization for large hole densities delta approximately 0.40 with evidence for a second-order transition to the paramagnetic large doping phase.