Spectral and optical properties in the antiphase stripe phase of the cuprate superconductors

TL;DR

This paper explores how spin and charge domain-derived scattering potentials affect the spectral and optical properties of cuprate superconductors, explaining divergent experimental observations and the intrinsic metallic or insulating nature of the stripe state.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of the effects of spin and charge scattering potentials on spectral and optical properties in stripe phases, clarifying experimental discrepancies.

Findings

Charge scattering is less effective than spin scattering in suppressing superconductivity.

Spectral weight concentrates on different regions depending on the relative strength of scattering potentials.

Optical conductivity features vary with the dominance of spin or charge scattering potentials.

Abstract

We investigate the superconducting order parameter, the spectral and optical properties in a stripe model with spin (charge) domain-derived scattering potential $V_{s}$ ($V_{c}$). We show that the charge domain-derived scattering is less effective than the spin scattering on the suppression of superconductivity. For $V_{s}\gg V_{c}$, the spectral weight concentrates on the ($\pi,0$) antinodal region, and a finite energy peak appears in the optical conductivity with the disappearance of the Drude peak. But for $V_{s}\approx V_{c}$, the spectral weight concentrates on the ($\pi/2,\pi/2$) nodal region, and a residual Drude peak exists in the optical conductivity without the finite energy peak. These results consistently account for the divergent observations in the ARPES and optical conductivity experiments in several high-$T_c$ cuprates, and suggest that the "insulating" and "metallic" properties are intrinsic to the stripe state, depending on the relative strength of the spin and charge domain-derived scattering potentials.