A self-consistent, conserving theory of the attractive Hubbard model in two dimensions

Abstract

We have investigated the attractive Hubbard model in the low-density limit for the 2D square lattice using the ladder approximation for the vertex function in a self-consistent, conserving formulation. In the parameter region where the on-site attraction is of the order of the bandwidth, we found no evidence of a pseudo-gap. Furthermore, we have observed that the suppression of the Fermi surface known to destroy superconductivity in one and two dimensions, when these systems are treated using a non-self-consistent theory (Schmitt-Rink, Varma C M and Ruckenstein A E 1989 Phys. Rev. Lett. 63 445), does not occur when pair-pair interactions are included. However, we do find a quasi-particle lifetime that varies linearly with temperature, which is similar to the findings from many experiments. Thus, although this system has a Fermi surface, it shows non-Fermi-liquid-type behaviour over a wide temperature range. We stress that our work uses thermal Green's functions along the real-time axis, and thus allows for a more accurate determination of the dynamical properties of a model than theories that require extrapolations from the imaginary-frequency axis.