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Kinks and Mid-Infrared Optical Conductivity from Strong Electron Correlation

We compute the one-particle spectral function and the optical conductivity for the 2-d Hubbard model on a square lattice. The computational method is cellular dynamical mean-field theory (CDMFT) in which a 4-site Hubbard plaquette is embedded in a self-consistent bath. We obtain a `kink' feature in the dispersion of the spectral function and a mid-infrared (mid-IR) absorption peak in the optical conductivity, consistent with experimental data. Of the 256 plaquette states, only a single state which has d$_{x^2-y^2}$ symmetry contributes to the mid-IR, thereby suggesting a direct link with the pseudogap. Local correlations between doubly and singly occupied sites which lower the kinetic energy of a hole are the efficient cause of this effect.