papers

Publications (66)

cond-mat.mes-hall2025

Exchangeless braiding of Majorana zero modes in weakly coupled Kitaev chains

Robin Quade, Michael Potthoff

Exchangeless braiding of Majorana modes is studied in minimal networks of weakly hybridized Kitaev chains of finite length using a rigorous many-body framework. In particular, for…

cond-mat.mes-hall2018

Non-collinear spin states in bottom-up fabricated atomic chains

Manuel Steinbrecher, Roman Rausch, Khai Ton That +5

Non-collinear spin states with unique rotational sense, such as chiral spin-spirals, are recently heavily investigated because of advantages for future applications in spintronics…

cond-mat.str-el2019

Phase diagram of the Kondo model on the zigzag ladder

Matthias Peschke, Lena-Marie Woelk, Michael Potthoff

The effect of next-nearest-neighbor hopping on the ground-state phase diagram of the one-dimensional Kondo lattice is studied with density-matrix renormalization-group tech…

cond-mat.mes-hall2015

Screening mechanisms in magnetic nanostructures

Andrej Schwabe, Mirek Hänsel, Michael Potthoff +1

A theoretical concept is presented for the screening of several magnetic moments locally exchange coupled to conduction electrons in a metallic nanostructure. We consider a quantum…

cond-mat.str-el2013

Inverse indirect magnetic exchange

Andrej Schwabe, Irakli Titvinidze, Michael Potthoff

Magnetic moments strongly coupled to the spins of conduction electrons in a nanostructure can confine the conduction-electron motion due to scattering at almost localized Kondo sin…

cond-mat.str-el2011

Krylov-space approach to the equilibrium and the nonequilibrium single-particle Green's function

Matthias Balzer, Nadine Gdaniec, Michael Potthoff

The zero-temperature single-particle Green's function of correlated fermion models with moderately large Hilbert-space dimensions can be calculated by means of Krylov-space techniq…

cond-mat.mes-hall2024

Prerelaxation in quantum, classical, and quantum-classical two-impurity models

Michael Elbracht, Michael Potthoff

We numerically study the relaxation dynamics of impurity-host systems, focusing on the presence of long-lived metastable states in the non-equilibrium dynamics after an initial exc…

cond-mat.str-el2024

Magnetic Doublon Bound States in the Kondo Lattice Model

Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff, Norio Kawakami

We present a novel pairing mechanism for electrons, mediated by magnons. These paired bound states are termed ``magnetic doublons''. Applying numerically exact techniques (full dia…

cond-mat.str-el2023

Geometrical torque on magnetic moments coupled to a correlated antiferromagnet

Nicolas Lenzing, David Krüger, Michael Potthoff

The geometrical spin torque mediates an indirect interaction of magnetic moments, which are weakly exchange coupled to a system of itinerant electrons. It originates from a finite…

cond-mat.str-el2007

Self-energy-functional theory for systems of interacting electrons with disorder

Michael Potthoff, Matthias Balzer

Based on a functional-integral formalism, a generalization of the self-energy-functional theory (SFT) is proposed which is applicable to systems of interacting electrons with disor…

cond-mat.quant-gas2012

Doublon dynamics in the extended Fermi Hubbard model

Felix Hofmann, Michael Potthoff

Two fermions occupying the same site of a lattice model with strongly repulsive Hubbard-type interaction U form a doublon, a long-living excitation the decay of which is suppressed…

cond-mat.str-el2012

Competition between Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange in a quantum box

Andrej Schwabe, Daniel Gütersloh, Michael Potthoff

Nanoscale systems of metal atoms antiferromagnetically exchange coupled to several magnetic impurities are shown to exhibit an unconventional re-entrant competition between Kondo s…

cond-mat.mes-hall2017

Anomalous spin precession under a geometrical torque

Christopher Stahl, Michael Potthoff

Precession and relaxation predominantly characterize the real-time dynamics of a spin driven by a magnetic field and coupled to a large Fermi sea of conduction electrons. We demons…

cond-mat.str-el2015

Dynamical mean-field study of partial Kondo screening in the periodic Anderson model on the triangular lattice

Maximilian W. Aulbach, Fakher F. Assaad, Michael Potthoff

The competition between Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange is studied for a system with geometrical frustration using dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT). We systematica…

cond-mat.mes-hall2011

Macrospin approximation and quantum effects in models for magnetization reversal

Mohammad Sayad, Daniel Gütersloh, Michael Potthoff

The thermal activation of magnetization reversal in magnetic nanoparticles is controlled by the anisotropy-energy barrier. Using perturbation theory, exact diagonalization and stab…

cond-mat.mes-hall2021

Non-Hamiltonian dynamics of indirectly coupled classical impurity spins

Simon Michel, Michael Potthoff

We discuss the emergence of an effective low-energy theory for the real-time dynamics of two classical impurity spins within the framework of a prototypical and purely classical mo…

cond-mat.str-el2011

Non-equilibrium cluster-perturbation theory

Matthias Balzer, Michael Potthoff

The cluster perturbation theory (CPT) is one of the simplest but systematic quantum cluster approaches to lattice models of strongly correlated electrons with local interactions. B…

cond-mat.str-el2015

Crossover from conventional to inverse indirect magnetic exchange in the depleted Anderson lattice

Maximilian W. Aulbach, Irakli Titvinidze, Michael Potthoff

We investigate the finite-temperature properties of an Anderson lattice with regularly depleted impurities. The physics of this model is ruled by two different magnetic exchange me…

cond-mat.str-el2007

Non-perturbative conserving approximations and Luttinger's sum rule

Jutta Ortloff, Matthias Balzer, Michael Potthoff

Weak-coupling conserving approximations can be constructed by truncations of the Luttinger-Ward functional and are well known as thermodynamically consistent approaches which respe…

cond-mat.str-el2005

Systematics of approximations constructed from dynamical variational principles

Michael Potthoff

The systematics of different approximations within the self-energy-functional theory (SFT) is discussed for fermionic lattice models with local interactions. In the context of the…

cond-mat.str-el2003

Self-energy-functional approach to systems of correlated electrons

Michael Potthoff

The grand potential of a system of interacting electrons is considered as a stationary point of a self-energy functional. It is shown that a rigorous evaluation of the functional i…

cond-mat.str-el2005

Dynamical variational principles for strongly correlated electron systems

Michael Potthoff

The self-energy-functional approach (SFA) is discussed in the context of different variational principles for strongly correlated electron systems. Formal analogies between static…

cond-mat.mes-hall2022

Spin Berry curvature of the Haldane model

Simon Michel, Michael Potthoff

The feedback of the geometrical Berry phase, accumulated in an electron system, on the slow dynamics of classical degrees of freedom is governed by the Berry curvature. Here, we st…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Nonequilibrium variational-cluster approach to real-time dynamics in the Fermi-Hubbard model

Felix Hofmann, Martin Eckstein, Michael Potthoff

The nonequilibrium variational-cluster approach is applied to study the real-time dynamics of the double occupancy in the one-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model after different fast c…

cond-mat.mes-hall2024

Bound states and local topological phase diagram of classical impurity spins coupled to a Chern insulator

Simon Michel, Axel Fünfhaus, Robin Quade +2

The existence of bound states induced by local impurities coupled to an insulating host depends decisively on the global topological properties of the host's electronic structure.…

cond-mat.str-el2007

Mott transition in one dimension: Benchmarking dynamical cluster approaches

Matthias Balzer, Werner Hanke, Michael Potthoff

The variational cluster approach (VCA) is applied to the one-dimensional Hubbard model at zero temperature using clusters (chains) of up to ten sites with full diagonalization and…

cond-mat.str-el2014

Making use of self-energy functionals: The variational cluster approximation

Michael Potthoff

A pedagogical introduction to the cluster-perturbation theory, the variational cluster approximation and to self-energy-functional theory is given. Some standard applications and t…

cond-mat.str-el2013

Boundary and finite-size effects in the competition between indirect magnetic exchange and Kondo screening

Irakli Titvinidze, Michael Potthoff

A system of conduction electrons can mediate an indirect magnetic exchange between magnetic impurites. The nonlocal exchange typically competes with the local Kondo screening of th…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Time-dependent Mott transition in the periodic Anderson model with nonlocal hybridization

Felix Hofmann, Michael Potthoff

The time-dependent Mott transition in a periodic Anderson model with off-site, nearest-neighbor hybridization is studied within the framework of nonequilibrium self-energy function…

cond-mat.str-el2015

Lehmann representation of the nonequilibrium self-energy

Christian Gramsch, Michael Potthoff

It is shown that the non-equilibrium self-energy of an interacting lattice-fermion model has a unique Lehmann representation. Based on the construction of a suitable non-interactin…

cond-mat.mes-hall2020

Topological spin torque emerging in classical-spin systems with different time scales

Michael Elbracht, Simon Michel, Michael Potthoff

In classical spin systems with two largely different inherent time scales, the configuration of the fast spins almost instantaneously follows the slow-spin dynamics. We develop the…

cond-mat.str-el2004

Disorder- and correlation-driven metal-insulator transitions

Matthias Balzer, Michael Potthoff

Metal-insulator transitions driven by disorder (Delta) and/or by electron correlations (U) are investigated within the Anderson-Hubbard model with local binary-alloy disorder using…

cond-mat.mes-hall2021

Long-time relaxation dynamics of a spin coupled to a Chern insulator

Michael Elbracht, Michael Potthoff

The relaxation of a classical spin, exchange coupled to the local magnetic moment at an edge site of the one-dimensional spinful Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model is studied numerically b…

cond-mat.str-el2012

Dynamical mean-field theory of indirect magnetic exchange

Irakli Titvinidze, Andrej Schwabe, Niklas Rother +1

To analyze the physical properties arising from indirect magnetic exchange between several magnetic adatoms and between complex magnetic nanostructures on metallic surfaces, the re…

cond-mat.mes-hall2024

Microscopic theory of spin friction and dissipative spin dynamics

Nicolas Lenzing, David Krüger, Michael Potthoff

The real-time dynamics of local magnetic moments exchange coupled to a metallic system of conduction electrons is subject to dissipative friction even in the absence of spin-orbit…

cond-mat.str-el2013

Density-matrix functionals from Greens functions

Peter E. Blöchl, Thomas Pruschke, Michael Potthoff

The exact reduced density-matrix functional is derived from the Luttinger-Ward functional of the single-particle Green's function. Thereby, a formal link is provided between diagra…

cond-mat.str-el2013

Dynamical symmetry between spin and charge excitations studied by a plaquette mean-field approach in two dimensions

Philipp Jurgenowski, Michael Potthoff

The real-time dynamics of local occupation numbers in a Hubbard model on a 6x6 square lattice is studied by means of the non-equilibrium generalization of the cluster-perturbation…

cond-mat.mes-hall2015

Spin dynamics and relaxation in the classical-spin Kondo-impurity model beyond the Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation

Mohammad Sayad, Michael Potthoff

The real-time dynamics of a classical spin in an external magnetic field and locally exchange coupled to an extended one-dimensional system of non-interacting conduction electrons…

cond-mat.str-el2008

First order Mott transition at zero temperature in two dimensions: Variational plaquette study

Matthias Balzer, Bumsoo Kyung, David Sénéchal +2

The nature of the metal-insulator Mott transition at zero temperature has been discussed for a number of years. Whether it occurs through a quantum critical point or through a firs…

cond-mat.mtrl-sci2011

Anomalous magnetic anisotropy of the topmost surface layer of Ni(110)

Marco Busch, Jens Lienemann, Michael Potthoff +1

The orientation of the magnetization of a Ni(110) surface was investigated using techniques with different probing depths. By making use of electron capture into excited states of…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Nonequilibrium self-energy functional approach to the dynamical Mott transition

Felix Hofmann, Martin Eckstein, Michael Potthoff

The real-time dynamics of the Fermi-Hubbard model, driven out of equilibrium by quenching or ramping the interaction parameter, is studied within the framework of the nonequilibriu…

cond-mat.str-el2012

Static and dynamic variational principles for strongly correlated electron systems

Michael Potthoff

The equilibrium state of a system consisting of a large number of strongly interacting electrons can be characterized by its density operator. This gives a direct access to the gro…

cond-mat.str-el2004

Non-perturbative construction of the Luttinger-Ward functional

Michael Potthoff

For a system of correlated electrons, the Luttinger-Ward functional provides a link between static thermodynamic quantities on the one hand and single-particle excitations on the o…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Inertia effects in the real-time dynamics of a quantum spin coupled to a Fermi sea

Mohammad Sayad, Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

Spin dynamics in the Kondo impurity model, initiated by suddenly switching the direction of a local magnetic field, is studied by means of the time-dependent density-matrix renorma…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Relaxation of a classical spin coupled to a strongly correlated electron system

Mohammad Sayad, Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

A classical spin which is antiferromagnetically coupled to a system of strongly correlated conduction electrons is shown to exhibit unconventional real-time dynamics which cannot b…

cond-mat.str-el2024

Kondo Screening and Indirect Magnetic Exchange through a Conventional Superconductor Studied by the Density-Matrix Renormalization Group

Cassian Plorin, Michael Potthoff

The competition between the Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange in systems with two magnetic impurities coupled to a conventional s-wave superconductor gives rise to a n…

cond-mat.str-el2011

Self-energy-functional theory

Michael Potthoff

Self-energy-functional theory is a formal framework which allows to derive non-perturbative and thermodynamically consistent approximations for lattice models of strongly correlate…

cond-mat.str-el2013

Nonequilibrium self-energy functional theory

Felix Hofmann, Martin Eckstein, Enrico Arrigoni +1

The self-energy functional theory (SFT) is generalized to describe the real-time dynamics of correlated lattice-fermion models far from thermal equilibrium. This is achieved by mea…

cond-mat.str-el2018

Frustrated quantum magnetism in the Kondo lattice on the zigzag ladder

Matthias Peschke, Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

The interplay between Kondo effect, indirect magnetic interaction and geometrical frustration is studied in the Kondo lattice on the one-dimensional zigzag ladder. Using the densit…

cond-mat.str-el2015

Band model for the understanding of ferromagnetism in semiconductors and insulators

Mirek Hänsel, Wolfgang Nolting, Michael Potthoff

To investigate ferromagnetic semiconductors and insulators, such as the famous EuO, EuS, or CrBr, we propose a hybridized Kondo-lattice model, where, in addition to the conduct…

cond-mat.str-el2010

Importance of local correlations for the order parameter of high-Tc superconductors

Matthias Balzer, Werner Hanke, Michael Potthoff

It is shown that local temporal correlations in addition to non-local spatial correlations are important to understand the size and the doping dependence of the d-wave superconduct…

cond-mat.str-el2014

Ferromagnetism of magnetic impurities coupled indirectly via conduction electrons: Insights from various theoretical approaches

Irakli Titvinidze, Andrej Schwabe, Michael Potthoff

The magnetic ground-state properties of the periodic Anderson model with a regular depletion of the correlated sites are analyzed within different theoretical approaches. We consid…

cond-mat.str-el2019

Pump-probe Auger-electron spectroscopy of Mott insulators

Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

In high-resolution core-valence-valence (CVV) Auger electron spectroscopy from the surface of a solid at thermal equilibrium, the main correlation satellite, visible in the case of…

cond-mat.str-el2016

Multiplons in the two-hole excitation spectra of the one-dimensional Hubbard model

Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

Using the density-matrix renormalization group in combination with the Chebyshev polynomial expansion technique, we study the two-hole excitation spectrum of the one-dimensional Hu…

cond-mat.mes-hall2022

Controlling the real-time dynamics of a spin coupled to the helical edge states of the Kane-Mele model

Robin Quade, Michael Potthoff

The time-dependent state of a classical spin locally exchange coupled to an edge site of a Kane-Mele model in the topologically non-trivial phase is studied numerically by solving…

cond-mat.quant-gas2014

Cooperation of different exchange mechanisms in confined magnetic systems

Andrej Schwabe, Mirek Hänsel, Michael Potthoff

The diluted Kondo lattice model is investigated at strong antiferromagnetic local exchange couplings J, where almost local Kondo clouds drastically restrict the motion of conductio…

cond-mat.str-el2017

Filling-dependent doublon dynamics in the one-dimensional Hubbard model

Roman Rausch, Michael Potthoff

The fate of a local two-hole doublon excitation in the one-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model is systematically studied for strong Hubbard interaction U in the entire filling range us…

cond-mat.mes-hall2026

Disorder-Induced Topological Phases in a Two-Dimensional Chern Insulator with Strong Magnetic Disorder

Devesh Vaish, Michael Potthoff

Strong directional disorder in local magnetic moments coupled to a Chern insulator gives rise to topological phases that cannot be continuously connected to the clean limit and are…

cond-mat.str-el2017

Enforcing conservation laws in nonequilibrium cluster perturbation theory

Christian Gramsch, Michael Potthoff

Using the recently introduced time-local formulation of the nonequilibrium cluster perturbation theory (CPT), we construct a generalization of the approach such that macroscopic co…

cond-mat.mes-hall2020

Accessing long timescales in the relaxation dynamics of spins coupled to a conduction-electron system using absorbing boundary conditions

Michael Elbracht, Michael Potthoff

The relaxation time of a classical spin interacting with a large conduction-electron system is computed for a weak magnetic field, which initially drives the spin out of equilibriu…

cond-mat.str-el2010

Variational cluster approach to ferromagnetism in infinite dimensions and in one-dimensional chains

Matthias Balzer, Michael Potthoff

The variational cluster approach (VCA) is applied to study spontaneous ferromagnetism in the Hubbard model at zero temperature. We discuss several technical improvements of the num…

cond-mat.mes-hall2022

Emergent Non-Abelian Gauge Theory in Coupled Spin-Electron Dynamics

Nicolas Lenzing, Alexander I. Lichtenstein, Michael Potthoff

A clear separation of the time scales governing the dynamics of "slow" and "fast" degrees of freedom often serves as a prerequisite for the emergence of an independent low-energy t…

cond-mat.str-el2021

Interacting Chern Insulator in Infinite Spatial Dimensions

David Krüger, Michael Potthoff

We study a generic model of a Chern insulator supplemented by a Hubbard interaction in arbitrary even dimension and demonstrate that the model remains well-defined and nontrivi…

cond-mat.str-el2014

Strong-coupling limit of depleted Kondo- and Anderson-lattice models

Irakli Titvinidze, Andrej Schwabe, Michael Potthoff

Fourth-order strong-coupling degenerate perturbation theory is used to derive an effective low-energy Hamiltonian for the Kondo-lattice model with a depleted system of localized sp…

cond-mat.str-el2009

Accessing thermodynamics from dynamical cluster-embedding approaches

Gang Li, Werner Hanke, Alexei N. Rubtsov +2

Dynamical quantum-cluster approaches, such as different cluster extensions of the dynamical mean-field theory (cluster DMFT) or the variational cluster approximation (VCA), combine…

cond-mat.supr-con2005

Correlated band structure and the ground-state phase diagram in high-Tc cuprates

Werner Hanke, Markus Aichhorn, Enrico Arrigoni +1

We review results obtained with a recently proposed variational cluster approach (VCA) for the competition between d-wave superconductivity (dSC) and antiferromagnetism (AF) in the…