Temperature dependence of the gap size near the brillouin-zone nodes of HgBa2CuO4+delta superconductors

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Aug 29;101(9):097003. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.097003. Epub 2008 Aug 27.

Abstract

Although more than 20 years have passed, the identification of the superconducting order parameter in cuprates is still under debate. Here, we show that the gap size near the nodes is a good candidate for the order parameter: it scales with the critical temperature Tc over a wide doping range and displays a significant temperature dependence below Tc in both the underdoped and the overdoped regimes. In contrast, the gap size at the antinodes does not scale with Tc in the underdoped regime and appears to be controlled by the pseudogap which persists below Tc.