Interrelation between the pseudogap and the incoherent quasi-particle features of high-Tc superconductors

TL;DR

This paper explores how local lattice deformations cause pseudogaps and incoherent features in high-Tc superconductors, linking phonon effects to ARPES observations through a hybrid bipolaron-electron model.

Contribution

It introduces a hybridized bipolaron-electron model explaining pseudogap and incoherent spectral features via phonon shake-off effects and lattice fluctuations.

Findings

Pseudogap and incoherent features arise from phonon shake-off effects.

Double-peak structure in pair distribution function is key evidence.

Model aligns with ARPES experimental observations.

Abstract

Using a scenario of a hybridized mixture of localized bipolarons and conduction electrons, we demonstrate for the latter the simultaneous appearance of a pseudogap and of strong incoherent contributions to their quasi-particle spectrum which arise from phonon shake-off effects. This can be traced back to temporarily fluctuating local lattice deformations, giving rise to a double-peak structure in the pair distribution function, which should be a key feature in testing the origin of these incoherent contributions, recently seen in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES).