Combined potential and spin impurity scattering in cuprates - art. no. 012503

We present a theory of combined nonmagnetic and magnetic impurity scatterin g in anisotropic superconductors accounting for the momentum-dependent impu rity potential. Applying the model to the d-wave superconducting state, we obtain a quantitative agreement with the initial suppression of the critica l temperature due to Zn and Ni substitutions as well as electron irradiatio n defects in the cuprates. We suggest that the unequal pair-breaking effect of Zn and Ni may be related to a different nature of the magnetic moments induced by these impurities.