Proof of the Peierls instability in one dimension

Tom Kennedy, Elliott H. Lieb

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

62 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fröhlich and Peierls showed that a one-dimensional system with a half-filled band can lower its ground-state energy by a dimerization from period 1 to period 2. It was an open question whether or not this dimerization was exact, i.e., whether additional symmetry breaking would further lower the energy. We prove that the dimerization is exact for a periodic chain of infinitely massive, harmonically bound atoms with nearest-neighbor electron hopping matrix elements that vary linearly with the nearest-neighbor distance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1309-1312
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume59
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 1987

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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