Superconducting gap within a modified interlayer tunneling model

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modified interlayer tunneling model with interlayer single particle hopping and pseudogap effects to better describe cuprate superconductors, successfully matching experimental data and predicting new behaviors.

Contribution

The paper develops a phenomenological model incorporating pseudogap effects into interlayer hopping, explaining experimental observations and predicting T_c behavior variations.

Findings

Absence of bilayer splitting in layered cuprates.

Successful reproduction of the temperature dependence of the superconducting gap.

High ratio of superconducting gap to T_c consistent with experiments.

Abstract

A modified version of the interlayer tunneling model, including interlayer single particle hopping (ISPH), is considered as a phenomenological model to describe cuprate superconductors. The effective ISPH (t_\perp^{eff}) is taken along with a probability factor P, that involves the normal state pseudogap (E_g). This makes t_\perp^{eff} to mimic experimental observations that, ISPH is small in the underdoped regime and increases towards overdoping. Within the modified model, we establish the absence of bilayer splitting as observed in case of layered cuprates. Transition temperature (T_c) and the superconducting gap are calculated. A match, to the T-dependent superconducting gap data from experiment, is obtained and high values of the ratio of the superconducting gap to T_c are recovered. Depending on the values of E_g, T_c as a function of interlayer coupling shows mixed behaviour. This is a prediction and can be checked further.