Hole-Density Evolution of the One-Particle Spectral Function in Doped Ladders

The spectral function $A({\bf q}, \omega)$ of doped $t-J$ ladders is presented on clusters with up to $2 \times 20$ sites at zero temperature applying a recently developed technique that uses up to $\sim 6 \times 10^6$ rung-basis states. Similarities with photoemission results for the 2D cuprates are observed, such as the existence of a gap at $(\pi,0)$ near half-filling (caused by hole pair formation) and flat bands in its vicinity. These features should be observable in ARPES experiments on ladders. The main result of the paper is the nontrivial evolution of the spectral function from a narrow band at $x=0$, to a quasi-noninteracting band at $x \geq 0.5$. It was also observed that the low-energy peaks of a cluster spectra acquire finite line-widths as their energies move away from the chemical potential.