The description of solids at a microscopic level is complex,
involving the interaction of a huge number of its constituents, such
as ions or electrons. It is impossible to solve the corresponding
many-body problems analytically or numerically, although much insight
can be gained from the analysis of simplified models. An important
example is the Hubbard model, which describes interacting electrons
in narrow energy bands, and which has been applied to problems as
diverse as high-Tc superconductivity, band magnetism, and the
metal-insulator transition.
Remarkably, the one-dimensional Hubbard model can be solved exactly using
the Bethe ansatz method. The resulting solution has become a laboratory for
theoretical studies of non-perturbative effects in strongly correlated
electron systems. Many methods devised to analyse such effects have been
applied to this model, both to provide complementary insights into what is
known from the exact solution, and as an ultimate test of their quality.
This book presents a coherent,
self-contained account of the exact solution of the Hubbard model in
one dimension. The early chapters will be accessible to beginning
graduate students with a basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and
statistical mechanics. The later chapters address more advanced
topics, and are intended as a guide for researchers to some of the
more recent scientific results in the field of integrable models.
BibTeX-entry
DOI:
10.2277/0521802628