Autocorrelation of quasiparticle spectral intensities and its connection with quasiparticle scattering interference in cuprate superconductors

TL;DR

This paper explores the relationship between quasiparticle spectral intensity autocorrelation and scattering interference in cuprate superconductors, linking experimental observations with a kinetic-energy driven superconducting model considering pseudogap effects.

Contribution

It establishes a theoretical connection between autocorrelation patterns and quasiparticle scattering interference using a kinetic-energy driven model including pseudogap effects.

Findings

Autocorrelation peaks relate to high joint density of states regions.

Octet scattering model links scattering vectors to pseudogap anisotropy.

Autocorrelation patterns match Fourier-transform STM observations.

Abstract

The quasiparticle excitation is one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous physical observables in cuprate superconductors, carrying information about the bosonic glue forming electron pairs. Here the autocorrelation of the quasiparticle excitation spectral intensities in cuprate superconductors and its connection with the quasiparticle scattering interference are investigated based on the framework of the kinetic-energy driven superconducting mechanism by taking into account the pseudogap effect. It is shown that the octet scattering model of the quasiparticle scattering processes with the scattering wave vectors ${\bf q}_{i}$ connecting the hot spots on the constant energy contours is intrinsically related to the emergence of the highly anisotropic momentum-dependence of the pseudogap. Concomitantly, the sharp peaks in the autocorrelation of the quasiparticle excitation spectral intensities with the wave vectors ${\bf q}_{i}$ are directly correlated to the regions of the highest joint density of states. Moreover, the momentum-space structure of the autocorrelation patterns of the quasiparticle excitation spectral intensities is well consistent with the momentum-space structure of the quasiparticle scattering interference patterns observed from Fourier-transform scanning tunneling spectroscopy experiments. The theory therefore confirms an intimate connection between the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy autocorrelation and quasiparticle scattering interference in cuprate superconductors.