title: Quantum dimer model for the pseudogap metal.
abstract: We propose a quantum dimer model for the metallic state of the hole-doped cuprates at low hole density, p. The Hilbert space is spanned by spinless, neutral, bosonic dimers and spin S = 1/2, charge +e fermionic dimers. The model realizes a "fractionalized Fermi liquid" with no symmetry breaking and small hole pocket Fermi surfaces enclosing a total area determined by p. Exact diagonalization, on lattices of sizes up to 8 × 8, shows anisotropic quasiparticle residue around the pocket Fermi surfaces. We discuss the relationship to experiments.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Physics Department, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany;
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punk
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Allais
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 2Y5, Canada sachdev@g.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Subir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sachdev
keywords: Fermi liquid; dimer model; spin liquid; superconductivity