Pairing gaps, pseudogaps, and phase diagrams for cuprate superconductors

We use a symmetry-constrained variational procedure to construct a generalization of BCS to include Cooper pairs with nonzero momentum and angular momentum. The resulting gap equations are solved at zero and finite temperature, and the doping-dependent solutions are used to construct gap and phase diagrams. We find a pseudogap terminating at a critical doping that may be interpreted in terms of both competing order and preformed pairs. The strong similarity between observation and predicted gap and phase structure suggests that this approach may provide a unified description of the complex structure observed for cuprate superconductors.