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    Probing d-wave superconducting gap of the high-Tc cuprate Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

    Kunhao Li1, Qizhi Li1, Changwei Zou1, Jaewon Choi2, Chaohui Yin3, Mirian Garcia-Fernandez2, Stefano Agrestini2, Shilong Zhang1, Chengtian Lin4 et al.

    Xingjiang Zhou3, Ke-Jin Zhou2,5, Yi Lu6,7, and Yingying Peng1,8,*

    • *Contact author: yingying.peng@pku.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 224510 – Published 8 June, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4tm5-f5mj

    Abstract

    The superconducting gap is a characteristic feature of high-Tc superconductors and provides crucial information on the pairing mechanism underlying high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we employ high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Cu L3 edge to investigate the superconducting gap in the overdoped cuprate Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ (Tc=107K). By analyzing antisymmetrized, temperature-dependent RIXS spectra over a range of in-plane momentum transfers, we observe a clear suppression of low-energy spectral weight below Tc, indicative of superconducting-gap formation. This suppression is most pronounced at small momentum transfers [|q∥|≤0.18 r.l.u. (reciprocal lattice units)] and corresponds to a gap size of approximately 2Δ0∼130 meV. Comparison with theoretical calculations of the momentum-dependent charge susceptibility supports a d-wave symmetry of the superconducting gap, while an isotropic s-wave gap fails to reproduce key experimental features. These findings establish RIXS as a powerful, bulk-sensitive probe of superconducting-gap symmetry and highlight its utility for studying materials beyond the reach of surface-sensitive techniques such as ARPES and STM.

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