d-Wave bipolaronic stripes and two energy scales in cuprates

Abstract

There is strong experimental evidence for pairing of polaronic carriers in the normal state, two distinct energy scales, d-wave superconducting order parameter,and charge segregation in the form of stripes in several cuprates.All these remarkable phenomena might be unified in the framework of the bipolaron theory as a result of the formation of mobile bipolarons in the normal state and their Bose-Einstein condensation. Extending the BCS theory towards an intermediate and strong-coupling regime we show that there are two energy scales in this regime, a temperature independent incoherent gap and a temperature dependent coherent gap combining into one temperature dependent global gap. The temperature dependence of the gap and single particle (Giaver) tunnelling spectra in cuprates are quantitatively described. A framework for understanding of two distinct energy scales observed in Giaver tunnelling and Andreev reflection experiments is provided. We suggest that both d-wave superconducting order parameter and striped charge distribution result from the bipolaron (center-of-mass) energy band dispersion rather than from any particular interaction.