Measurements of the temperature dependence of the quasiparticle (QP) dynamics
in Hg1223 with femtosecond time-resolved optical spectroscopy are reported.
From the temperature dependence of the amplitude of the photoinduced
reflection, the existence of two gaps is deduced, one temperature dependent Dc
that closes at Tc, and another temperature independent ''pseudogap'' Dp. The
zero-temperature magnitudes of the two gaps are Dc/kTc = 6 +/- 0.5 and Dp/kTc =
6.4 +/- 0.5 respectively. The quasiparticle lifetime is found to exhibit a
divergence as T -> Tc from below, which is attributed to the existence of a
superconducting gap which closes at Tc. Above Tc the relaxation time is longer
than expected for metallic relaxation, which is attributed to the presence of
the ''pseudogap''. The QP relaxation time is found to increase significantly at
low temperatures. This behavior is explained assuming that at low temperatures
the relaxation of photoexcited quasiparticles is governed by a bi-particle
recombination process.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.