Stripes, electron fractionalization, and ARPES Original Research Article

We discuss the tendency of doped holes to form quasi-one-dimensional structures (‘stripes’), as observed in high-Tc materials. We compare single-particle spectral functions of strongly-correlated models with recent angle-resolved-photoemission results for LaSrCuO and LaNdSrCuO materials, allowing us to distinguish between different stripe configurations. In particular, for low dopings, our results indicate a bond-centered structure, whereas at higher dopings, holes prefer to proliferate into the antiferromagnetic domains. Furthermore, we discuss the competition between stripes and superconductivity. In particular, we show an enhancement of long-distance superconducting correlations produced by the long-range part of the Coulomb interaction.