Interplay between disorder and electron interactions in a d=3 site-disordered Anderson-Hubbard model: A numerical mean-field study

Effects of strong correlations on the disorder-induced zero-bias anomaly in the extended Anderson-Hubbard model

We study the effect of strong correlations on the zero-bias anomaly (ZBA) in disordered interacting systems. We focus on the two-dimensional extended Anderson-Hubbard model (EAHM) on a square lattice. The EAHM has both on-site and nearest-neighbour interactions and randomly chosen site energies. We use a mean-field theory that incorporates strong correlations and treats the disorder potential exactly. We use a simplified atomic-limit approximation for the diagonal inelastic self-energy that becomes exact in the large-disorder limit, and the off-diagonal self-energy is treated within the Hartree-Fock approximation. The validity of these approximations is discussed in detail. We find that strong correlations have a significant effect on the ZBA at half-filling, and enhance the ZBA gap when the interaction is finite ranged.

Competition between Anderson localization and antiferromagnetism in correlated lattice fermion systems with disorder

The magnetic ground state phase diagram of the disordered Hubbard model at half-filling is computed in dynamical mean-field theory supplemented with the spin resolved, typical local density of states. The competition between many-body correlations and disorder is found to stabilize paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic metallic phases at weak interactions. Strong disorder leads to Anderson localization of the electrons and suppresses the antiferromagnetic long-range order. Slater and Heisenberg antiferromagnets respond characteristically differently to disorder. The results can be tested with cold fermionic atoms loaded into optical lattices.

Mott-Hubbard transition versus Anderson localization in correlated electron systems with disorder

The phase diagram of correlated, disordered electron systems is calculated within dynamical mean-field theory using the geometrically averaged ("typical") local density of states. Correlated metal, Mott insulator, and Anderson insulator phases, as well as coexistence and crossover regimes, are identified. The Mott and Anderson insulators are found to be continuously connected.

Inhomogeneous metallic phase in a disordered Mott insulator in two dimensions

We show that, with increasing randomness, the spectral gap in a 2D Mott-Hubbard insulator is destroyed first at a disorder V(c1), while antiferromagnetism persists up to a higher V(c2). Most unexpectedly, between V(c1) and V(c2) the system is metallic and is sandwiched between the Mott insulator below V(c1) and the Anderson insulator above V(c2). The metal is formed when the spectral gap gets destroyed locally in regions where the disorder potential is high enough to overcome the interelectron repulsion. This generates puddles with enhanced charge fluctuations that percolate with increasing disorder, resulting in a spatially inhomogeneous metallic phase.