AUTHOR=Juskus D. , Ayres J. , Nicholls R. , Hussey N. E. 

TITLE=Insensitivity of Tc to the residual resistivity in high-Tc cuprates and the tale of two domes

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2024.1396463

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2024.1396463

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=<p>One of the few undisputed facts about hole-doped high-<italic>T</italic><sub><italic>c</italic></sub> cuprates is that their superconducting gap Δ has <italic>d</italic>-wave symmetry. According to ‘dirty’ <italic>d</italic>-wave BCS theory, even structural (non-magnetic) disorder can suppress Δ, the transition temperature <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>c</italic></sub> and the superfluid density <italic>ρ</italic><sub><italic>s</italic></sub>. The degree to which the latter is affected by disorder depends on the nature of the scattering. By contrast, <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>c</italic></sub> is only sensitive to the total elastic scattering rate (as estimated from the residual resistivity <italic>ρ</italic><sub>0</sub>) and should follow the Abrikosov-Gor’kov pair-breaking formula. Here, we report a remarkable robustness of <italic>T</italic><sub><italic>c</italic></sub> in a set of Bi2201 single crystals to large variations in <italic>ρ</italic><sub>0</sub>. We also survey an extended body of data, both recent and historical, on the LSCO family which challenge key predictions from dirty <italic>d</italic>-wave theory. We discuss the possible causes of these discrepancies, and argue that either we do not understand the nature of disorder in cuprates, or that the dirty <italic>d</italic>-wave scenario is not an appropriate framework. Finally, we present an alternative (non-BCS) scenario that may account for the fact that the superconducting dome in Tl2201 extends beyond that seen in Bi2201 and LSCO and suggest ways to test the validity of such a scenario.</p>