We analyze how thermal fluctuations near a finite temperature nematic phase transition affect the spectral function $A({ \bf k},\omega)$ for single-electron excitations in a two-dimensional metal. Perturbation theory yields a splitting of the quasi-particle peak with a d-wave form factor, reminiscent of a pseudogap. We present a resummation of contributions to all orders in the Gaussian fluctuation regime. Instead of a splitting, the resulting spectral function exhibits a pronounced broadening of the quasi-particle peak, which varies strongly around the Fermi surface and vanishes upon approaching the Brillouin zone diagonal. The Fermi surface obtained from a Brillouin zone plot of $A({ \bf k},0)$ seems truncated to Fermi arcs.
Categories: cond-mat.str-el cond-mat.supr-con