Conducting phase in the two-dimensional disordered Hubbard model

Abstract

We study the temperature-dependent conductivity $\sigma(T)$ and spin susceptibility $\chi(T)$ of the two-dimensional disordered Hubbard model. Calculations of the current-current correlation function using the Determinant Quantum Monte Carlo method show that repulsion between electrons can significantly enhance the conductivity, and at low temperatures change the sign of $d\sigma/dT$ from positive (insulating behavior) to negative (conducting behavior). This result suggests the possibility of a metallic phase, and consequently a metal-insulator transition,in a two-dimensional microscopic model containing both interactions and disorder. The metallic phase is a non-Fermi liquid with local moments as deduced from a Curie-like temperature dependence of $\chi(T)$.