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

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 non-linear 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 around the Brillouin zone diagonals.