Interplay of superconductivity and bosonic coupling in the peak-dip-hump structure of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ

Because of the important role of electron-boson interactions in conventional superconductivity, it has long been asked whether any similar mechanism is at play in high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Evidence for strong electron-boson coupling is observed in cuprates with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), in the form of a dispersion kink and peak-dip-hump structure. What is missing is evidence of a causal relation to superconductivity. Here we revisit the problem using the technique of time-resolved ARPES on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta. We focus on the peak-dip-hump structure, and show that laser pulses shift spectral weight into the dip as superconductivity is destroyed on picosecond time scales. We compare our results to simulations of Eliashberg theory in a superconductor with an Einstein boson, and find that the magnitude of the shift in spectral weight depends on the degree to which the bosonic mode contributes to superconductivity. Further study could address one of the longstanding mysteries of high-temperature superconductivity.