Optical and DC conductivity of the two-dimensional Hubbard model in the pseudogap regime and across the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point, including vertex corrections

The conductivity of the two-dimensional Hubbard model is particularly relevant for high-temperature superconductors. Vertex corrections are expected to be important because of strongly momentum dependent self-energies. We use the Two-Particle Self-Consistent approach that satisfies crucial constraints such as the Mermin-Wagner theorem, the Pauli principle and sum rules in order to reach non-perturbative regimes. This approach is reliable from weak to intermediate coupling. A functional derivative approach ensures that vertex corrections are included in a way that satisfies the f sum-rule. The two types of vertex corrections that we find are the antiferromagnetic analogs of the Maki-Thompson and Aslamasov-Larkin contributions of superconducting fluctuations to the conductivity but, contrary to the latter, they include non-perturbative effects. The resulting analytical expressions must be evaluated numerically. The calculations are impossible unless a number of advanced numerical algorithms are used. A maximum entropy approach is specially developed for analytical continuation of our results. The numerical results are for nearest neighbor hoppings. In the pseudogap regime induced by two-dimensional antiferromagnetic fluctuations, the effect of vertex corrections is dramatic. Without vertex corrections the resistivity increases as we enter the pseudogap regime. Adding vertex corrections leads to a drop in resistivity, as observed in some high temperature superconductors. At high temperature, the resistivity saturates at the Ioffe-Regel limit. At the quantum critical point and beyond, the resistivity displays both linear and quadratic temperature dependence and there is a correlation between the linear term and the superconducting transition temperature. A hump is observed in the mid-infrared range of the optical conductivity in the presence of antiferromagnetic fluctuations.

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