Friedel oscillations as a probe of fermionic quasiparticles

Abstract

When immersed in a sea of electrons, local impurities give rise to density modulations known as Friedel oscillations. In spite of the generality of this phenomenon, the exact shape of these modulations is usually computed only for noninteracting electrons with a quadratic dispersion relation. In actual materials, Friedel oscillations are a viable way to access the properties of electronic quasiparticles, including their dispersion relation, lifetime, and pairing. In this work we analyze the signatures of Friedel oscillations in STM and x-ray scattering experiments, focusing on the concrete example of cuprate superconductors. We identify signatures of Friedel oscillations seeded by impurities and vortices, and explain experimental observations that have been previously attributed to a competing charge order.