$Z_2$-gauge theory description of the Mott transition in infinite dimensions

The infinite dimensional half-filled Hubbard model can be mapped exactly with no additional constraint onto a model of free fermions coupled in a $Z_2$ gauge-invariant manner to auxiliary Ising spins in a transverse field. In this slave-spin representation, the zero-temperature insulator-to-metal transition translates into spontaneous breaking of the local $Z_2$ gauge symmetry, which is not forbidden in infinite dimensions, thus endowing the Mott transition of an order parameter that is otherwise elusive in the original fermion representation. We demonstrate this interesting scenario by exactly solving the effective spin-fermion model by dynamical mean-field theory both at zero and at finite temperature.

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