Thermodynamics of the 3D Hubbard Model on Approaching the Néel Transition

We study the thermodynamic properties of the 3D Hubbard model for temperatures down to the Néel temperature by using cluster dynamical mean-field theory. In particular, we calculate the energy, entropy, density, double occupancy, and nearest-neighbor spin correlations as a function of chemical potential, temperature, and repulsion strength. To make contact with cold-gas experiments, we also compute properties of the system subject to an external trap in the local density approximation. We find that an entropy per particle S/N ≈ 0.65(6) at U/t = 8 is sufficient to achieve a Néel state in the center of the trap, substantially higher than the entropy required in a homogeneous system. Precursors to antiferromagnetism can clearly be observed in nearest-neighbor spin correlators.