Loss of nodal quasiparticle integrity in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x

A central question in the study of high-temperature superconductivity is whether this phenomenon is linked to the doped antiferromagnetic Mott insulator or whether it emerges from a Fermi-liquid state across the whole cuprate phase diagram. Discriminating between these orthogonal cases hinges on the quantitative determination of the elusive quasiparticle strength Z as a function of hole-doping p, from the heavily overdoped to the deeply underdoped regime. Here we show, by means of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and an in situ doping technique, that the electronic structure of the overdoped metal (0.24 <= p <= 0.37) is in remarkable agreement with density functional theory and Fermi-liquid-like descriptions. However, below p approximate to 0.10-0.15, we observe the loss of nodal quasiparticle integrity. This marks a clear departure from Fermi-liquid behaviour and a more rapid than expected crossover to Mott physics, indicating that the physical properties of underdoped cuprates are dominated by incoherent excitations.