Disentangling Cooper-pair formation above the transition temperature from the pseudogap state in the cuprates
| Title | Disentangling Cooper-pair formation above the transition temperature from the pseudogap state in the cuprates |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Kondo T, Hamaya Y, Palczewski AD, Takeuchi T, Wen JS, Xu ZJ, Gu GD, Schmalian J, Kaminski A |
| Journal Title | Nature Physics |
| Volume | 7 |
| Pages | 21-25 |
| Date Published | 01 |
| Type of Article | Article |
| ISBN Number | 1745-2473 |
| Accession Number | ISI:000285501100010 |
| Keywords | density, dynamics, fluctuations, gaps, T-C SUPERCONDUCTORS, underdoped bi2sr2cacu2o8+delta |
| Abstract | The discovery of the pseudogap in the cuprates(1-3) created significant excitement as it was believed to be a signature of pairing(4), in some cases above room temperature. Indeed, a number of experiments detected phase-fluctuating superconductivity above the transition temperature T-c (refs 5-9). However, several recent experiments reported that the pseudogap and superconducting state are characterized by different energy scales(10-14), and probably compete with each other(15,16), leaving open the question of whether the pseudogap is caused by pair formation. Here we report the discovery of a spectroscopic signature of pair formation and demonstrate that in a region commonly referred to as the pseudogap, two distinct states coexist: one that is due to pair formation and persists to an intermediate temperature T-pair < T* and a second-the 'proper' pseudogap-characterized by the loss of spectral weight and anomalies in transport properties that extends up to T*. T-pair has a value around 120-150 K even for materials with very different T-c values and it probably sets a limit on the highest attainable T-c in the cuprates. |
| URL | <Go to ISI>://000285501100010 |
| DOI | 10.1038/nphys1851 |
| Alternate Journal | Nat. Phys. |
