Stripes and electronic quasiparticles in the pseudogap state of cuprate superconductors

TL;DR

This paper reviews stripe and nematic orders in cuprate superconductors' pseudogap phase, discussing their properties, experimental evidence, and potential coexistence with electron quasiparticles, suggesting a complex interplay beyond simple causes.

Contribution

It proposes that stripe order occurs on top of a distinct pseudogap state hosting electron quasiparticles and a spin liquid, offering a unified explanation for various experimental observations.

Findings

Stripe and nematic orders are unlikely the pseudogap cause.

Pseudogap state hosts electron-like quasiparticles and a spin liquid.

Stripe order may explain ARPES, NMR, and quantum oscillation data.

Abstract

This article is devoted to a discussion of stripe and electron-nematic order and their connection to electronic properties in the pseudogap regime of copper-oxide superconductors. We review basic properties of these symmetry-breaking ordering phenomena as well as proposals which connect them to quantum-oscillation measurements. Experimental data indicate that these orders are unlikely to be the cause of the pseudogap phenomenon, implying that they occur on top of the pseudogap state which itself is of different origin. Specifically, we discuss the idea that the non-superconducting pseudogap ground state hosts electron-like quasiparticles which coexist with a spin liquid, realizing a variant of a fractionalized Fermi liquid. We speculate on how stripe order in such a pseudogap state might offer a consistent description of ARPES, NMR, quantum-oscillation, and transport data.