Anisotropic scattering and superconductivity in high-Tc cuprates

The isotropic and anisotropic components of the transport scattering rate in overdoped Tl2Ba2CuO6+δ are determined for a range of Tc values between 15 and 35 K by angle-dependent magnetoresistance measurements at T=40K. The anisotropic scattering term is found to scale linearly with Tc and appears to vanish at the point where superconductivity is destroyed, establishing a clear link between the superconducting and normal state physics. Comparison with results from angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy suggests that the transport and quasi-particle lifetimes are very different.