Ultrahigh-resolution (ΔE up to 10 meV) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on single crystals of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_2$${\mathrm{Sr}}_2$${\mathrm{CaCu}}_2$${\mathrm{O}}_{8+\mathrm{\delta }}$ (Bi-2212) show a highly anisotropic superconducting energy gap: the gap is minimized, with a value close to zero, along the Γ-X and Γ-Y symmetry directions, while a large gap (Δ=22 meV) is observed along the Γ-M¯ (Cu-O bond) direction. However, the observation of gap anisotropy may depend on sample conditions; in a few cases the gap becomes more isotropic. A dip in the spectral weight at 65 meV below the Fermi energy is clearly observed only in samples with an anisotropic gap.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.50.1333