Temperature dependence of quasiparticle interference in $d$-wave superconductors

Abstract

We investigate the temperature dependence of quasiparticle interference in the high $T_c$-cuprates using an Exact-Diagonalization + Monte-Carlo based scheme to simulate the $d$-wave superconducting order parameter. The quasiparticle interference patterns have features largely resulting from the scattering vectors of the octet model at lower temperature. Our findings suggest that the features of quasiparticle interference in the pseudogap region of the phase diagram are also dominated by the set of scattering vectors belonging to the octet model because of the persisting antinodal gap beyond the superconducting transition $T_c$. However, beyond a temperature when the antinodal gap becomes very small, a set of scattering vectors different from those belonging to the octet model are responsible for the quasiparticle interference patterns. With a rise in temperature, the patterns are increasingly broadened.