Self-localization of composite spin-lattice polarons

Suppression of superconductivity in the Hubbard model by buckling and breathing phonons

We study the effect of buckling and breathing phonons, relevant for cuprate superconductors, on the d-wave superconductivity in the two-dimensional Hubbard model by employing dynamical cluster Monte Carlo calculations. The interplay of electronic correlations and the electron-phonon interaction produces two competing effects: an enhancement of the effective d-wave pairing interaction, which favors d-wave superconductivity, and a strong renormalization of the single-particle propagator, which suppresses superconductivity. In the region of the parameter space relevant for cuprate superconductors, we find that the buckling and the breathing phonons suppress the superconductivity.

Quantum dynamics of a driven correlated system coupled to phonons

Nonequilibrium interplay between charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom on a square lattice is studied for a single charge carrier doped in the t-J-Holstein model. In the presence of a static electric field we calculate the quasistationary state. With increasing electron-phonon (e-ph) coupling the carrier mobility decreases; however, we find increased steady state current due to e-ph coupling in the regime of negative differential resistance. We explore the distribution of absorbed energy between the spin and the phonon subsystem. For model parameters as relevant for cuprates, the majority of the gained energy flows into the spin subsystem.

Bipolaron in the t-J model coupled to longitudinal and transverse quantum lattice vibrations

We explore the influence of two different polarizations of quantum oxygen vibrations on the spacial symmetry of the bound magnetic bipolaron in the context of the t-J model by using exact diagonalization within a limited functional space. Linear as well as quadratic electron-phonon coupling to transverse polarization stabilize d-wave symmetry. The existence of a magnetic background is essential for the formation of a d-wave bipolaron state. With increasing linear electron-phonon coupling to longitudinal polarization the symmetry of a d-wave bipolaron state changes to a p wave. Bipolaron develops a large anisotropic effective mass.

Formation and temperature evolution of correlated polarons in colossal magnetoresistive manganites

We investigate the temperature dependence of charge ordered clusters in manganites. In terms of an approximate treatment of the half-filled spinless Holstein model incorporating the double exchange effect and nearest-neighbor Coulomb interactions, we find that charge ordering and polaronic states appear simultaneously which naturally defines a correlated polaron state. Without the double exchange, the temperature evolution of the charge (polaron) ordering parameter exhibits a broad peak structure only in the strongly correlated quasiadiabatic regime. Including the double exchange, the peak becomes sharper and is observed both in the quasiadiabatic and antiadiabatic regimes. The peak structure in the quasiadiabatic regime provides an explanation for the temperature dependence of the polaron correlation in nanoscale charge ordered polaron clusters observed in the manganites with intermediate to narrow bandwidths.

Temperature dependence of the angle resolved photoemission spectra in the undoped cuprates: self-consistent approach to the t-J Holstein model

We develop a novel self-consistent approach for studying the angle resolved photoemission spectra (ARPES) of a hole in the t-J Holstein model giving perfect agreement with numerically exact diagrammatic Monte Carlo (DMC) data at zero temperature for all regimes of electron-phonon coupling. Generalizing the approach to finite temperatures, we find that the anomalous temperature dependence of the ARPES in undoped cuprates is explained by cooperative interplay of coupling of the hole to magnetic fluctuations and strong electron-phonon interaction.

Nonlocal composite spin-lattice polarons in high temperature superconductors

The nonlocal nature of the polaron formation in t - t '- t'' - J model is studied in large lattices up to 64 sites by developing a new numerical method. We show that the effect of longer-range hoppings t' and t'' is a large anisotropy of the electron-phonon interaction (EPI) leading to a completely different influence of EPI on the nodal and antinodal points in agreement with the experiments. Furthermore, nonlocal EPI preserves polaron's quantum motion, which destroys the antiferromagnetic order effectively, even in the strong coupling regime, although the quasiparticle weight in angle-resolved-photoemission spectroscopy is strongly suppressed.

Rotational symmetry breaking in the ground state of sodium-doped cuprate superconductors

We use an extended t-J model to study a single hole bound to a Na+ acceptor in Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2. For parameters suitable to cuprates, the ground state has a twofold degeneracy, corresponding to even (odd) reflection symmetry around the x (y) axes. The conductance pattern of the broken symmetry state is anisotropic as the tip of a tunneling microscope scans above the Cu-O-Cu bonds along the x (y) axes. This anisotropy is pronounced at lower voltages but reduced at higher voltages. Our theory agrees qualitatively with recent data of scanning tunneling microscopy showing broken local rotational symmetry.

Synergistic polaron formation in the Hubbard-Holstein model at small doping

We study the effect of dynamical Holstein phonons on the physics of the Hubbard model at small doping using the dynamical cluster approximation on a 2x2 cluster. Nonlocal antiferromagnetic correlations are found to significantly enhance the electron-phonon coupling, resulting in polaron formation for moderate coupling strengths. At finite doping, the electron-phonon coupling is found to strongly enhance the nonlocal spin correlations, indicating a synergistic interplay between the electron-phonon coupling and antiferromagnetic correlations. Although it enhances the pairing interaction, the electron-phonon coupling is found to decrease the superconducting transition temperature, due to the reduction in the quasiparticle fraction.