What is Mott Transition and its basic Priniciple?

In summary, the Mott Transition is a phenomenon where a material transitions from being a conductor to an insulator due to electron interactions. It is a bridge between Quantum and Classical Mechanics and occurs when electrons remain localized in their orbits due to pairing. This is caused by a strong Coulomb repulsion between the electrons, which splits the energy band into two levels. Mott considered a lattice model with one electron per site, but due to interaction, each site can be occupied by two electrons, leading to a fully filled lower band and an empty upper band, resulting in a Mott insulator.
  • #1
Sagar Rawal
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Hello Everyone,

I was really curious to know what really is Mott Transition and How it works. I searched for hours but couldn't find any helpful answer. Somewhere it was suggested that it is a bridge between Quantum and Classical Mechanics and it is due to electron interaction where electron remains localized to their orbits due to pairing.
But I don't know how this piece of puzzzle fit together.

Can anyone please explain me the basic idea and how electons remains localized or what that even means?

Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
Somehow you missed this wiki article and about 100 other hits from a Google search.
 
  • #3
The question you've asked is so broad that answering it would involve repeating most or all of the Wikipedia article. You'll get better and more helpful answers more quickly if you can work through the Wikipedia article and other google hits for yourself, and ask more focused questions here when and if you get stuck. An internet discussion forum generally is more useful for helping people over the hard spots than providing a broad overview of a topic.
 
  • #4
Thank you for your answer. I have knowledge of Band Energy formation and how insulator or conductors are formed. But I'm stuck where the mott transiton come in between and How electron interaction affect metals such that it becomes insulators.
 
  • #5
Sagar Rawal said:
Thank you for your answer. I have knowledge of Band Energy formation and how insulator or conductors are formed. But I'm stuck where the mott transiton come in between and How electron interaction affect metals such that it becomes insulators.

Please read this review article:

http://webhome.phy.duke.edu/~baranger/articles/strong_cor/MItransitions_rmp.pdf

Pay attention to the discussion leading to Fig. 5 in the article.

Zz.
 
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  • #8
Sagar Rawal said:
It doesn't open says page can't be loaded.

It works for me, and I'm looking at it from home and with no site-access of any kind.

The official reference is : M. Imada et al., Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 70, p.1039 (1998).

Zz.
 
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  • #9
I found this paragraph from one of wiki article, "Mott considers a lattice model with just one electron per site. Without taking the interaction into account, each site could be occupied by two electrons, one with spin up and one with spin down. Due to the interaction the electrons would then feel a strong Coulomb repulsion, which Mott argued splits the band in two: The lower band is then occupied by the first electron per site, the upper by the second. If each site is only occupied by a single electron the lower band is completely filled and the upper band completely empty, the system thus a so-called Mott insulator."

What I don't understood here is

At first it is said that Mott consider a lattice model without taking interaction into account but later mentioned that due to interaction electorns would feel strong columb repulsion? Isn't that contradicts the first statement?

It is first said that he considers just one electron per site but later said each site could be occupied by two electons, which again contradicts the first statement.

So can you please explain me what I'm missing here or what really affects metals to become insulators or what is mott insulators?
 

1. What is a Mott transition?

A Mott transition, also known as a Mott metal-insulator transition, is a phenomenon in which a material undergoes a transition from a conducting state to an insulating state at a certain critical temperature or pressure. This transition occurs due to strong electron-electron interactions in the material.

2. What is the basic principle behind Mott transition?

The basic principle behind Mott transition is the competition between the kinetic energy of electrons and the repulsive Coulomb interaction between them. At low temperatures, kinetic energy dominates and the material behaves as a conductor. As temperature increases, the Coulomb interaction becomes stronger and eventually dominates, causing the material to become an insulator.

3. What is the significance of Mott transition in condensed matter physics?

Mott transition is a fundamental phenomenon in condensed matter physics as it provides insights into the behavior of electrons in solids. It also plays a crucial role in understanding the properties of materials such as high-temperature superconductors, magnetic materials, and transition metal oxides.

4. How is Mott transition different from other types of phase transitions?

Mott transition is different from other types of phase transitions, such as the solid-liquid transition or the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition, because it does not involve a change in the spatial arrangement of atoms. Instead, it is a purely electronic transition that occurs due to changes in the behavior of electrons within the material.

5. Can Mott transition be controlled or manipulated?

Yes, Mott transition can be controlled or manipulated by various external factors such as temperature, pressure, and chemical doping. By changing these parameters, it is possible to induce or suppress the transition, making it a useful tool for studying the electronic properties of materials.

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