No Arabic abstract
We have systematically studied the effects of in-plane uniaxial pressure $p$ on the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ in many iron-based superconductors. The change of $T_c$ with $p$ is composed of linear and nonlinear components. The latter can be described as a quadratic term plus a much smaller fourth-order term. In contrast to the linear component, the nonlinear $p$ dependence of $T_c$ displays a pronounced in-plane anisotropy, which is similar to the anisotropic response of the resistivity to $p$. As a result, it can be attributed to the coupling between the superconducting and nematic orders, in accordance with the expectations of a phenomenological Landau theory. Our results provide direct evidences for the interplay between nematic fluctuations and superconductivity, which may be a common behavior in iron-based superconductors.
Majorana zero mode is an exotic quasi-particle excitation with non-Abelian statistics in topological superconductor systems, and can serve as the cornerstone for topological quantum computation, a new type of fault-tolerant quantum computation architecture. This review paper highlights recent progress in realizing Majorana modes in iron-based high-temperature superconductors. We begin with the discussion on topological aspect of electronic band structures in iron-based superconductor compounds. Then we focus on several concrete proposals for Majorana modes, including the Majorana zero modes inside the vortex core on the surface of Fe(Te,Se), helical Majorana modes at the hinge of Fe(Te,Se), the Majorana zero modes at the corner of the Fe(Te,Se)/FeTe heterostructure or the monolayer Fe(Te,Se) under an in-plane magnetic field. We also review the current experimental stage and provide the perspective and outlook for this rapidly developing field.
Iron-based superconductors are well-known for their intriguing phase diagrams, which manifest a complex interplay of electronic, magnetic and structural degrees of freedom. Among the phase transitions observed are superconducting, magnetic, and several types of structural transitions, including a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic and a collapsed-tetragonal transition. In particular, the widely-observed tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition is believed to be a result of an electronic order that is coupled to the crystalline lattice and is, thus, referred to as nematic transition. Nematicity is therefore a prominent feature of these materials, which signals the importance of the coupling of electronic and lattice properties. Correspondingly, these systems are particularly susceptible to tuning via pressure (hydrostatic, uniaxial, or some combination). We review efforts to probe the phase diagrams of pressure-tuned iron-based superconductors, with a strong focus on our own recent insights into the phase diagrams of several members of this material class under hydrostatic pressure. These studies on FeSe, Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$, Ca(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ and CaK(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_4$As$_4$ were, to a significant extent, made possible by advances of what measurements can be adapted to the use under differing pressure environments. We point out the potential impact of these tools for the study of the wider class of strongly correlated electron systems.
The origin of uniaxial and hydrostatic pressure effects on $T_c$ in the single-layered cuprate superconductors is theoretically explored. A two-orbital model, derived from first principles and analyzed with the fluctuation exchange approximation gives axial-dependent pressure coefficients, $partial T_c/partial P_a>0$, $partial T_c/partial P_c<0$, with a hydrostatic response $partial T_c/partial P>0$ for both La214 and Hg1201 cuprates, in qualitative agreement with experiments. Physically, this is shown to come from a unified picture in which higher $T_c$ is achieved with an orbital distillation, namely, the less the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ main band is hybridized with the $d_{z^2}$ and $4s$ orbitals higher the $T_c$. Some implications for obtaining higher $T_c$ materials are discussed.
We studied iron-based superconductors of various families with critical temperatures covering almost all range $T_C = 9 - 53$ K. In natural arrays of contacts formed in these materials we observed intrinsic multiple Andreev reflections effect (IMARE). By using IMARE spectroscopy, we detected the two-gap superconductivity, determined the value of the large and the small superconducting gaps, and the corresponding BCS-ratios. The temperature dependencies of the large and the small gaps $Delta_{L,S}(T)$ are similar for various families of the Fe-based superconductors and could be well-fitted in the framework of the two-band model by Moskalenko and Suhl. We concluded on the extended s-wave symmetry of the $Delta_L$ order parameter (20-30 % anisotropy in k-space) and on the absence of nodes for $Delta_S$. The BCS-ratio $2Delta_L/k_BT_C approx 5.2$ is nearly constant within the whole range of $T_C$ (this means that coupling rate is unchanged), reflecting the 20 % reduction of the $T_C^{local}$ in relation to the eigen $T_C^L$, and the large gap roughly corresponds to the energy of magnetic resonance $2Delta_L approx E_{res}$. This result requires a special theoretical consideration. Our estimation of the relative coupling constants and eigen parameters of each condensate (in a hypothetical case of a zero interband interaction) $2Delta_L/k_BT_C^L = 4.2 - 4.8$ and $2Delta_S/k_BT_C^S = 3.5 - 4.5$ leads to indirect conclusion that namely a strong electron-phonon interaction in each condensate described in the framework of the Eliashberg theory plays the key role in the superconductivity of iron-based oxypnictides. With it, the two condensates interact weakly with each other. The observed scaling of $Delta_{L,S}$ with $T_C$, as was discussed above, is caused mainly by changing of the density of states $N_{L,S}$ in the bands, whereas Ln-O spacers act as charge reservoirs.
We study the effect of the lattice structure on the spin-fluctuation mediated superconductivity in the iron pnictides adopting the five-band models of several virtual lattice structures of LaFeAsO as well as actual materials such as NdFeAsO and LaFePO obtained from the maximally-localized Wannier orbitals. Random phase approximation is applied to the models to solve the Eliashberg equation. This reveals that the gap function and the strength of the superconducting instability are determined by the cooperation or competition among multiple spin fluctuation modes arising from several nestings among disconnected pieces of the Fermi surface, which is affected by the lattice structure. Specifically, the appearance of the Fermi surface $gamma$ around $(pi,pi)$ in the unfolded Brillouin zone is sensitive to the pnictogen height $h_{rm Pn}$ measured from the Fe plane, where $h_{rm Pn}$ is shown to act as a switch between high-$T_c$ nodeless and low-$T_c$ nodal pairings. We also find that reduction of the lattice constants generally suppresses superconductivity. We can then combine these to obtain a generic superconducting phase diagram against the pnictogen height and lattice constant. This suggests that NdFeAsO is expected to exhibit a fully-gapped, sign-reversing s-wave superconductivity with a higher $T_c$ than in LaFeAsO, while a nodal pairing with a low $T_c$ is expected for LaFePO, which is consistent with experiments.