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SU(2) gauge theory of fluctuating stripe order in the two-dimensional Hubbard model

Henrik Müller-Groeling1,*, Pietro M. Bonetti1,2, Paulo Forni1, and Walter Metzner1,†

  • *Contact author: h.mueller-groeling@fkf.mpg.de
  • †Contact author: w.metzner@fkf.mpg.de
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Phys. Rev. B 114, 175136 – Published 28 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tksj-ywhm

Abstract

We present an SU(2) gauge theory of fluctuating stripe order in the two-dimensional Hubbard model. The theory is based on a fractionalization of the electron operators in fermionic chargons with a pseudospin degree of freedom, and charge-neutral spinons capturing fluctuations of the spin orientation. The chargons are treated in a renormalized mean-field theory. We focus on regions of the phase diagram where they undergo stripe order. The spinons are described by a nonlinear sigma model with pseudospin stiffnesses determined by the chargons. They prevent breaking of the physical SU(2) spin symmetry at any finite temperature, resulting in a charge-ordered pseudogap phase with a reconstructed Fermi surface and a spin gap. The spectral function for single-particle excitations exhibits a collection of Fermi arcs and other structures. The arcs appear in various regions of the Brillouin zone, but never exclusively near the Brillouin zone diagonals. For a suitable choice of the bare dispersion relation, the form of the low energy spectral function resembles experimental observations from angular resolved photoemission on cuprates in which stripe fluctuations play an important role.

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 175136– Published 28 September, 2026
  • Received 7 May 2026
  • Revised 6 August 2026
  • Accepted 13 August 2026
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