Fermi Arcs in a Doped Pseudospin-1/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnet

Abstract

High temperature superconductivity in cuprates arises from an electronic state that remains poorly understood. We report the observation of a related electronic state in a non-cuprate material Sr2IrO4 in which the unique cuprate Fermiology is largely reproduced. Upon surface electron doping through in situ deposition of alkali-metal atoms, angle-resolved photoemission spectra of Sr2IrO4 display disconnected segments of zero-energy states, known as Fermi arcs, and a gap as large as 80 meV. Its evolution toward a normal metal phase with a closed Fermi surface as a function of doping and temperature parallels that in the cuprates. Our result suggests that Sr2IrO4 is a useful model system for comparison to the cuprates.

Science, 12 June 2014