On the relationship between charge ordering and the Fermi arcs observed in underdoped high T_c superconductors

We address the origin of the recently discovered close correspondence between the charge ordering wave vectors and the momentum-space separation between the tips of the Fermi arcs seen in angle-resolved photoemission measurements in underdoped high-temperature superconducting cuprates. This observation has been interpreted as a signature of charge order forming as an instability of pre-existing Fermi arcs of a different origin. We calculate the Fermi surface spectral weight for a charge density-wave model, considering a Fermi surface, charge ordering wave vectors and short correlation lengths similar to those found experimentally. We show that the observation of wave vectors spanning the tips of remnant Fermi surface sections is a natural consequence of a Fermi surface having been reconstructed by charge order. The presence of short-range charge order therefore cannot be ruled out as a potential origin of the observed Fermi arcs. (paper)