Emergent Disorder: Nano-Domain Formation Near the First-Order Mott-Hubbard Transition

Abstract

Since the Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition is a first order phase transition, we can always find a phase coexistence region in the phase diagram. In this region, the metallic state and the insulating state coexists, although one of these states is the meta-stable state (if the parameters are off the first order phase transition line). Micro domains can be thermally excited to the meta-stable state. Therefore, domains exist inside a bulk material. Between the domain and the bulk material, a domain wall is built up, which can be calculated by the spatially resolved DMFT. With the domain wall DOS results, we can calculate the domain size distribution function <em>P(R)</em>. If we simulate a large lattice system where the domains are created according to the distribution function <em>P(R)</em>, we find that the total resistivity grows linearly as <em>T</em> increases. This is another explanation to the linear resistivity behaviour in the normal-state superconductors.