Two-gap model for underdoped cuprate superconductors

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Abstract
Various properties of underdoped superconducting cuprates, including the momentum-dependent pseudogap opening, indicate a behavior which is neither BCS- nor Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC)– like. To explain this issue we introduce a two-gap model. This model assumes an anisotropic pairing interaction among two kinds of fermions with small and large Fermi velocities representing the quasiparticles near the M and the nodal points of the Fermi surface, respectively. We find that a gap forms near the M points resulting in incoherent pairing due to strong fluctuations. Instead, the pairing near the nodal points sets in with phase coherence at lower temperature. By tuning the momentum-dependent interaction, the model allows for a continuous evolution from a pure BCS pairing (in the overdoped and optimally doped regime) to a mixed boson-fermion picture (in the strongly underdoped regime).