Anomalous quasiparticle lifetime and strong electron-phonon coupling in graphite

Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Jan 19;98(3):036801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.036801. Epub 2007 Jan 16.

Abstract

We have performed ultrahigh-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on high-quality single crystals of graphite to elucidate the character of low-energy excitations. We found evidence for a well-defined quasiparticle (QP) peak in the close vicinity of the Fermi level comparable to the nodal QP in high-T(c) cuprates, together with the mass renormalization of the band at an extremely narrow momentum region around the K(H) point. Analysis of the QP lifetime demonstrates the presence of strong electron-phonon coupling and linear energy dependence of the QP scattering rate indicative of a marked deviation from the conventional Fermi-liquid theory.