# Emergence of pseudogap from short-range spin-correlations in electron doped cuprates

## TL;DR

This study uses ultrafast spectroscopy to reveal how short-range spin correlations lead to the pseudogap in electron-doped cuprates, showing it as a precursor to antiferromagnetic order even without long-range correlations.

## Contribution

It provides direct momentum-resolved evidence linking pseudogap features to spin correlations and introduces a transient approach corroborated by mean field models.

## Key findings

- Pseudogap relates to short-range spin correlations.
- Pseudogap acts as a precursor to antiferromagnetic order.
- Transient spectroscopy reveals pseudogap evolution with temperature.

## Abstract

Electron interactions are pivotal for defining the electronic structure of quantum materials. In particular, the strong electron Coulomb repulsion is considered the keystone for describing the emergence of exotic and/or ordered phases of quantum matter as disparate as high-temperature superconductivity and charge- or magnetic-order. However, a comprehensive understanding of fundamental electronic properties of quantum materials is often complicated by the appearance of an enigmatic partial suppression of low-energy electronic states, known as the pseudogap. Here we take advantage of ultrafast angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to unveil the temperature evolution of the low-energy density of states in the electron-doped cuprate Nd$_{\text{2-x}}$Ce$_{\text{x}}$CuO$_{\text{4}}$, an emblematic system where the pseudogap intertwines with magnetic degrees of freedom. By photoexciting the electronic system across the pseudogap onset temperature T*, we report the direct relation between the momentum-resolved pseudogap spectral features and the spin-correlation length with an unprecedented sensitivity. This transient approach, corroborated by mean field model calculations, allows us to establish the pseudogap in electron-doped cuprates as a precursor to the incipient antiferromagnetic order even when long-range antiferromagnetic correlations are not established, as in the case of optimal doping.