We report on the systematic evolution of vortex pinning behavior in isovalent doped single crystals of BaFe2(As1-xPx)2. Proceeding from optimal doped to ovedoped samples, we find a clear transfor- mation of the magnetization hysteresis from a fishtail behavior to a distinct peak effect followed by a reversible magnetization and Bean Livingston surface barriers. Strong point pinning dominates the vortex behavior at low fields whereas weak collective pinning determines the behavior at higher fields. In addition to doping effects, we show that particle irradiation by energetic protons can tune vortex pinning in these materials.
We present specific heat measurements on a series of BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 single crystals with phosphorous doping ranging from x = 0.3 to 0.55. Our results reveal that BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 follows the scaling Delta_C/Tc ~ Tc^2 remarkably well. The clean-limit nature of this material imposes new restraints on theories aimed at explaining the scaling. Furthermore, we find that the Ginzburg-Landau parameter decreases significantly with doping whereas the superconducting anisotropy is gamma~2.6, independent of doping.
The BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 compounds with x = 0 (parent), x = 0.10 (under-doped), x = 0.31, 0.33, 0.53 (superconductors with Tc = 27.3 K, 27.6 K, 13.9 K, respectively) and x = 0.70, 0.77 (over-doped) have been investigated versus temperature using 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. Special attention was paid to regions of the spin-density-wave (SDW) antiferromagnetic order, spin-nematic phase, and superconducting transition. The BaFe2(As0.90P0.10)2 compound exhibits a reduced amplitude of SDW as compared to the parent compound and preserved universality class of two-dimensional magnetic planes with one-dimensional spins. The spin-nematic phase region for x = 0.10 is characterized by an incoherent magnetic order. BaFe2(As0.69P0.31)2 shows coexistence of a weak magnetic order and superconductivity due to the vicinity of the quantum critical point. The charge density modulations in the BaFe2(As0.67P0.33)2 and BaFe2(As0.47P0.53)2 superconductors are perturbed near Tc. Pronounced hump of the average quadrupole splitting across superconducting transition is observed for the system with x = 0.33. The phosphorus substitution increases the Debye temperature of the BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 compound. Moreover, experimental electron charge densities at Fe nuclei in this material conclusively show that it should be recognized as a hole-doped system. The measured Mossbauer spectral shift and spectral area are not affected by transition to the superconducting state. This indicates that neither the average electron density at Fe nuclei nor the dynamical properties of the Fe-sublattice in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 are sensitive to the superconducting transition. Theoretical calculations of hyperfine parameters determining the patterns of Mossbauer spectra of BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 with x = 0, 0.31, 0.5, and 1.0 are performed within the framework of the density functional theory.
The normal-state charge transport is studied systematically in high-quality single crystals of BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ ($0 leq x leq 0.71$). By substituting isovalent P for As, the spin-density-wave (SDW) state is suppressed and the dome-shaped superconducting phase ($T_c lesssim 31$ K) appears. Near the SDW end point ($xapprox0.3$), we observe striking linear temperature ($T$) dependence of resistivity in a wide $T$-range, and remarkable low-$T$ enhancement of Hall coefficient magnitude from the carrier number estimates. We also find that the magnetoresistance apparently violates the Kohlers rule and is well scaled by the Hall angle $Theta_H$ as $Deltarho_{xx}/rho_{xx} propto tan^2Theta_H$. These non-Fermi liquid transport anomalies cannot be attributed to the simple multiband effects. These results capture universal features of correlated electron systems in the presence of strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations.
In the iron pnictide superconductors, two distinct unconventional mechanisms of superconductivity have been put forth: One is mediated by spin fluctuations leading to the s+- state with sign change of superconducting gap between the hole and electron bands, and the other is orbital fluctuations which favor the s++ state without sign reversal. Here we report direct observation of peculiar momentum-dependent anisotropy in the superconducting gap from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) in BaFe2(As1-xPx)2 (Tc=30 K). The large anisotropy found only in the electron Fermi surface (FS) and the nearly isotropic gap on the entire hole FSs are together consistent with modified s+- gap with nodal loops, which can be theoretically reproduced by considering both spin and orbital fluctuations whose competition generates the gap modulation. This indicates that these two fluctuations are nearly equally important to the high-Tc superconductivity in this system.
The magnetic structure of the Eu2+ moments in the superconducting EuFe2(As1-xPx)2 sample with x = 0.19 has been determined using neutron scattering. We conclude that the Eu2+ moments are aligned along the c direction below T_C = 19.0(1) K with an ordered moment of 6.6(2) mu_B in the superconducting state. An impurity phase similar to the underdoped phase exists within the bulk sample which orders antiferromagnetically below T_N = 17.0(2) K. We found no indication of iron magnetic order, nor any incommensurate magnetic order of the Eu2+ moments in the sample.