Hole Pockets in the Doped 2D Hubbard Model

The electronic momentum distribution ${\rm n({\bf k})}$ of the two dimensional Hubbard model is studied for different values of the coupling ${\rm U/t}$, electronic density ${\rm \langle n \rangle}$, and temperature, using quantum Monte Carlo techniques. A detailed analysis of the data on $8\times 8$ clusters shows that features consistent with hole pockets at momenta ${\rm {\bf k}=(\pm {\pi\over{2}},\pm {\pi\over{2}})}$ appear as the system is doped away from half-filling. Our results are consistent with recent experimental data for the cuprates discussed by Aebi et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 72}, 2757 (1994)). In the range of couplings studied, the depth of the pockets is maximum at ${\rm \langle n \rangle \approx 0.9}$, and it increases with decreasing temperature. The apparent absence of hole pockets in previous numerical studies of this model is explained.