Fermi liquid behavior and the metal-insulator transition of almost localized electrons: A brief theoretical review and an application to V 2O 3 system

Abstract

We review the electronic properties of almost localized electrons and the theoretical interpretation of the observed discontinuous metal-insulator (Mott) transitions in V 2O 3 system, induced by electron-electron interaction. Emphasis is placed on the correlated nature of these electronic states, which are described within a parametrized, Hubbard-type model. In particular, we concentrate on the equilibrium Fermi liquid properties and the Mott transition at nonzero temperature. The effective mass of almost localized quasiparticles is spin dependent and varies strongly in an applied magnetic field. The correlated metal-Mott insulator boundary marks the limiting line of the applicability of the Fermi liquid concept to interacting electrons in a solid. In other words, the insulator to metal (Mott) transitions in V 2O 3 system are regarded as examples of localization-delocalization transformations involving 3 d electrons. Explicit calculations of the phase diagram are performed with the help of Gutzwiller method and its generalization to nonzero temperatures.