Thermal and electrical conductivity of Fermi pocket models of underdoped cuprates

TL;DR

This paper compares four models of the pseudogap state in underdoped cuprates by calculating their thermal and electrical conductivities, proposing tests to distinguish between them based on measurable transport properties.

Contribution

It introduces a method to evaluate pseudogap models through transport measurements, linking quasiparticle behavior in Fermi pockets to observable conductivities.

Findings

Transport coefficients can differentiate pseudogap models.

Quasiparticles on Fermi pockets are closely related to those near nodes in superconductors.

Proposed transport currents serve as experimental tests for pseudogap theories.

Abstract

Several models of the electronic spectrum in the pseudogap state of underdoped cuprates have been proposed to explain ARPES and STM measurements, which reveal only truncated Fermi pockets instead of a full metallic Fermi surface. We consider the transport properties expected of four physically distinct models, and calculate the thermal and electrical conductivity of the electronic quasiparticles. By proposing transport currents that reflect the close correspondence between quasiparticles on the Fermi pockets in the pseudogap and those near nodes in the superconducting state, we show that measurable transport coefficients provide stringent tests of pseudogap models.