Effect of spin fluctuations on quasiparticles in simple metals

ORAL

Abstract

We present a first-principles theory for quasiparticle excitations in condensed matter systems that includes their interaction with spin fluctuations. We apply this theory to sodium and lithium. Despite several previous studies, the importance of spin fluctuations in these materials and, in particular, their effect on the occupied band width remains unclear. We show that the coupling to spin fluctuations does not significantly change the occupied band width, but gives an important contribution to the quasiparticle lifetime. To obtain quantitative agreement with experiment for the occupied band width, we find that it is necessary to include vertex corrections beyond the random-phase approximation in the screening by charge fluctuations.

*S. G. L. acknowledges support by a Simons Foundation Fellowship in Theoretical Physics. This work was supported by NSF Grant No. DMR10-1006184 and by DOE Grant No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

–

Authors

  • Johannes Lischner

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Timur Bazhirov

    • UC Berkeley

  • Allan MacDonald

    • The University of Texas at Austin
    • Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1081, USA
    • Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712
    • Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin
    • University of Texas at Austin
    • University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
    • UT Austin
    • Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

  • Marvin Cohen

    • UC Berkeley

  • Steven.G. Louie

    • Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley and Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • UC Berkeley physics/ LBNL MSD
    • Dept. of Physics UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • University of California - Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Physics Department, UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
    • University of California at Berkeley
    • University of California, Berkeley
    • UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Univ of California - Berkeley
    • Dept. of Physics, University of California, Berkeley and Materials Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory