Anomalous Scaling and Spin-Charge Separation in Coupled Chains

We use a bosonization approach to show that the three-dimensional Coulomb interaction in coupled metallic chains leads to a Luttinger liquid for vanishing interchain hopping t_⊥, and to a Fermi liquid for any finite t_⊥. However, for small t_⊥≠0 the Green's function satisfies a homogeneity relation with a nontrivial exponent γcb in a large intermediate regime. Our results offer a simple explanation for the large values of γcb inferred from recent photoemission data from quasi-one-dimensional conductors and might have some relevance for the understanding of the unusual properties of the high-temperature superconductors.