Ultrafast decoupling of the pseudogap from superconductivity in a pressurized cuprate

TL;DR

This study uses ultrafast optical spectroscopy under high pressure to distinguish the pseudogap from superconductivity in cuprates, revealing their independent evolution and a pressure-induced transition to an insulating state.

Contribution

It provides the first high-pressure phase diagram of an underdoped cuprate, showing the pseudogap and superconductivity evolve separately and identifying a dimensional crossover near 8 GPa.

Findings

Pseudogap onset temperature $T^*$ increases with pressure.

Superconducting gap $ ext{Δ}_{ ext{SC}}$ and $T_c$ follow a dome-like trajectory.

Superconductivity is quenched into an insulating-like state at 37 GPa.

Abstract

The relationship between the pseudogap and superconductivity remains a central puzzle in the physics of cuprates. Hydrostatic pressure provides a clean tuning parameter free from chemical disorder, yet probing the microscopic energy scales of these phases under compression has remained experimentally challenging. Here, we utilize ultrafast optical spectroscopy to construct the high-pressure phase diagram of the underdoped cuprate Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ up to 37 GPa. Our results reveal a striking dichotomy within the pseudogap state: while the onset temperature $T^*$ rises monotonically with pressure, the energy gap $\Delta_{\mathrm{PG}}$ is continuously suppressed. In contrast, the critical temperature $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ and the superconducting gap $\Delta_{\mathrm{SC}}$ trace a correlated dome-like trajectory, demonstrating that superconductivity evolves independently from the pseudogap. Furthermore, an abrupt collapse of the gap ratio $2\Delta_{\mathrm{SC}}/k_{\mathrm{B}}T_{\mathrm{c}}$ near 8 GPa marks a pressure-driven dimensional crossover, quenching two-dimensional phase fluctuations to stabilize global three-dimensional coherence. Upon reaching 37 GPa, the superconducting condensate is completely quenched into an insulating-like state. By resolving the extended phase evolution, our findings disentangle the pseudogap and superconducting orders, establishing a rigorous experimental basis for the pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity.