Pair-breaking effects in the Pseudogap Regime: Application to High Temperature Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper extends Abrikosov-Gor'kov theory to account for pair-breaking effects in high-temperature superconductors with a pseudogap, analyzing impurity impacts on critical temperatures and comparing with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a novel extension of AG theory tailored for the pseudogap regime in cuprates, addressing its limitations in conventional theory.

Findings

Impurities affect the pseudogap onset temperature T* and Tc.

The extended theory aligns with experimental observations.

Impurity effects differ significantly from those in conventional superconductors.

Abstract

Abrikosov-Gor'kov (AG) theory, the foundation for understanding pair-breaking effects in conventional superconductors, is inadequate when there is an excitation gap (pseudogap) present at the onset of superconductivity. In this paper we present an extension of AG theory within two important, and diametrically opposite approaches to the cuprate pseudogap. The effects of impurities on the pseudogap onset temperature T* and on Tc, along with comparisons to experiment are addressed.