Vertex corrections near the stripe phase

An attempt was made to settle the controversy on the sign and the size of the vertex corrections within the spin-fermion model (SFM). It was shown that in the relevant kinematical regime, the overall sign of the lowest-order vertex correction is negative. More important, it was illustrated that vertex corrections associated with the exchange of quasicritical charge and spin fluctuations in the metallic phase of the cuprates close to the stripe phase are suppressed when the incommensurate character of the critical wave vector is considered.