Magnetic domains and stripes in a spin-Fermion model for cuprates

Monte Carlo simulations applied to a model of interacting fermions and classical spins show the existence of antiferromagnetic spin domains and charge stripes upon hole doping. The stripes have a filling of approximately 1/2 hole per site, and they separate spin domains with a pi phase shift among them. The observed stripes run either along the x or y axes. No particular boundary conditions or external fields are needed to stabilize these structures. When magnetic incommensurate peaks are observed at momentum pi(1, 1 - delta), charge incommensurate peaks appear at (0, 2 delta). The charge fluctuations responible for the stripe formation also induce a pseudogap in the density of states.