Comparison Between the f-Electron and Conduction-Electron Density of States in the Falicov-Kimball Model at Low Temperature

Abstract

The spinless Falicov-Kimball model is one of the simplest models of many-body physics. While the conduction-electron density of states is temperature independent in the normal state, the f-electron density of states is strongly temperature dependent---it has an orthogonality catastrophe singularity in the metallic phase and is gapped in the insulating phase. The question we address here is whether the spectral gap is the same for both electron species as T->0. We find strong evidence to indicate that the answer is affirmative.