Gap and pseudogap evolution within the charge-ordering scenario for superconducting cuprates

Abstract

We describe the spectral properties of underdoped cuprates as resulting from a momentum-dependent pseudogap in the normal state spectrum. Such a model accounts, within a BCS approach, for the doping dependence of the critical temperature and for the two-parameter leading-edge shift observed in the cuprates. By introducing a phenomenological temperature dependence of the pseudogap, which finds a natural interpretation within the stripe quantum-critical-point scenario for high-T_c superconductors, we reproduce also the T_c-T^* bifurcation near optimum doping. Finally, we briefly discuss the different role of the gap and the pseudogap in determining the spectral and thermodynamical properties of the model at low temperatures.