Electron-phonon coupling in a two-dimensional inhomogeneous electron gas: consequences for surface spectral properties

TL;DR

This paper explores how electron-phonon interactions in a two-dimensional inhomogeneous electron gas can significantly alter surface spectral properties, potentially explaining experimental observations in high-Tc cuprates.

Contribution

It demonstrates that even moderate electron-phonon coupling can induce dramatic changes in inhomogeneous electron systems, leading to non-Fermi-liquid behavior.

Findings

Weak electron-phonon coupling causes significant spectral changes.

The model explains low-energy ARPES features in cuprates.

A novel non-Fermi-liquid state is stabilized by phonons.

Abstract

We investigate the coupling of an inhomogeneous electron system to phonons. The properties of an electronic system composed of a mixture of microscopic ordered and disordered islands are changed fundamentally by a phonon mode. In high-Tc cuprates, such a phase separation scenario is supported by recent STM and nuclear quadrupole resonance studies. We show that even a weak or moderate electron-phonon coupling can be sufficient to produce dramatic changes in the electronic state of the inhomogeneous electron gas. The spectral properties calculated in our approach provide a natural explanation of the low-energy nodal ARPES features and exhibit a novel non-Fermi-liquid state stabilized through electron-phonon coupling.