Proposed measurements of the interlayer magnetoresistance of underdoped cuprate superconductors can distinguish closed pockets from open arcs in the Fermi surface

An outstanding question concerning the underdoped cuprate concerns the true nature of their Fermi surface which appears as a set of disconnected arcs. Theoretical models have proposed two distinct possibilities: (1) each arc is the observable part of a partially-hidden closed pocket, and (2) each arc is open, truncated at its apparent ends. We show that measurements of the variation of the interlayer resistance with the direction of a magnetic field parallel to the layers can qualitatively distinguish closed pockets from open arcs. This is possible because the field can be oriented such that all electrons on arcs encounter a large Lorentz force and resulting magnetoresistance whereas some electrons on pockets escape the effect by moving parallel to the field.