Time-resolved ARPES on cuprates: Tracking the low-energy electrodynamics in the time domain

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development and application of time-resolved ARPES to study the low-energy electronic dynamics in cuprate superconductors, revealing transient spectral changes related to their superconducting properties.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of TR-ARPES techniques applied to cuprates and discusses new insights into their low-energy electrodynamics in the time domain.

Findings

Transient evolution of spectral function along the nodal direction

Observation of dynamics in the near-nodal superconducting gap

Enhanced understanding of cuprate low-energy excitations

Abstract

The pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of the dynamical nature of intertwined orders in quantum matter has fueled the development of several new experimental techniques, including time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (TR-ARPES). In this regard, the study of copper-oxide high-temperature superconductors, prototypical quantum materials, has furthered both the technical advancement of the experimental technique, as well as the understanding of their correlated dynamical properties. Here, we provide a brief historical overview of the TR-ARPES investigations of cuprates, and review what specific information can be accessed via this approach. We then present a detailed discussion of the transient evolution of the low-energy spectral function both along the gapless nodal direction and in the near-nodal superconducting gap region, as probed by TR-ARPES on Bi-based cuprates.