No Arabic abstract
Nematic orders emerge nearly universally in iron-based superconductors, but elucidating their origins is challenging because of intimate couplings between orbital and magnetic fluctuations. The iron-based ladder material BaFe2S3, which superconducts under pressure, exhibits antiferromagnetic order below TN ~ 117K and a weak resistivity anomaly at T* ~ 180K, whose nature remains elusive. Here we report angle-resolved magnetoresistance (MR) and elastoresistance (ER) measurements in BaFe2S3, which reveal distinct changes at T*. We find that MR anisotropy and ER nematic response are both suppressed near T*, implying that an orbital order promoting isotropic electronic states is stabilized at T*. Such an isotropic state below T* competes with the antiferromagnetic order, which is evidenced by the nonmonotonic temperature dependence of nematic fluctuations. In contrast to the cooperative nematic orders in spin and orbital channels in iron pnictides, the present competing orders can provide a new platform to identify the separate roles of orbital and magnetic fluctuations.
The importance of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) effect in Fe-based superconductors (FeSCs) has recently been under hot debate. Considering the Hunds coupling-induced electronic correlation, the understanding of the role of SOC in FeSCs is not trivial and is still elusive. Here, through a comprehensive study of 77Se and 57Fe nuclear magnetic resonance, a nontrivial SOC effect is revealed in the nematic state of FeSe. First, the orbital-dependent spin susceptibility, determined by the anisotropy of the 57Fe Knight shift, indicates a predominant role from the 3dxy orbital, which suggests the coexistence of local and itinerant spin degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) in the FeSe. Then, we reconfirm that the orbital reconstruction below the nematic transition temperature (Tnem ~ 90 K) happens not only on the 3dxz and 3dyz orbitals but also on the 3dxy orbital, which is beyond a trivial ferro-orbital order picture. Moreover, our results also indicate the development of a coherent coupling between the local and itinerant spin d.o.f. below Tnem, which is ascribed to a Hunds coupling-induced electronic crossover on the 3dxy orbital. Finally, due to a nontrivial SOC effect, sizable in-plane anisotropy of the spin susceptibility emerges in the nematic state, suggesting a spin-orbital-intertwined nematicity rather than simply spin- or orbital-driven nematicity}. The present work not only reveals a nontrivial SOC effect in the nematic state but also sheds light on the mechanism of nematic transition in FeSe.
The latest discovery of possible high temperature superconductivity in the single-layer FeSe film grown on a SrTiO3 substrate, together with the observation of its unique electronic structure and nodeless superconducting gap, has generated much attention. Initial work also found that, while the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film exhibits a clear signature of superconductivity, the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film shows an insulating behavior. Such a dramatic difference between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films is surprising and the underlying origin remains unclear. Here we report our comparative study between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films by performing a systematic angle-resolved photoemission study on the samples annealed in vacuum. We find that, like the single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film, the as-prepared double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film is insulating and possibly magnetic, thus establishing a universal existence of the magnetic phase in the FeSe/SrTiO3 films. In particular, the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film shows a quite different doping behavior from the single-layer film in that it is hard to get doped and remains in the insulating state under an extensive annealing condition. The difference originates from the much reduced doping efficiency in the bottom FeSe layer of the double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 film from the FeSe-SrTiO3 interface. These observations provide key insights in understanding the origin of superconductivity and the doping mechanism in the FeSe/SrTiO3 films. The property disparity between the single-layer and double-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 films may facilitate to fabricate electronic devices by making superconducting and insulating components on the same substrate under the same condition.
Nematic superconductivity is a novel class of superconductivity characterized by spontaneous rotational-symmetry breaking in the superconducting gap amplitude and/or Cooper-pair spins with respect to the underlying lattice symmetry. Doped Bi2Se3 superconductors, such as CuxBi2Se3, SrxBi2Se3, and NbxBi2Se3, are considered as candidates for nematic superconductors, in addition to the anticipated topological superconductivity. Recently, various bulk probes, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, specific heat, magnetotransport, magnetic torque, and magnetization, have consistently revealed two-fold symmetric behavior in their in-plane magnetic-field-direction dependence, although the underlying crystal lattice possesses three-fold rotational symmetry. More recently, nematic superconductivity is directly visualized using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. In this short review, we summarize the current researches on the nematic behavior in superconducting doped Bi2Se3 systems, and discuss issues and perspectives.
Understanding superconductivity requires detailed knowledge of the normal electronic state from which it emerges. A nematic electronic state that breaks the rotational symmetry of the lattice can potentially promote unique scattering relevant for superconductivity. Here, we investigate the normal transport of superconducting FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_x$ across a nematic phase transition using high magnetic fields up to 69 T to establish the temperature and field-dependencies. We find that the nematic state is an anomalous non-Fermi liquid, dominated by a linear resistivity at low temperatures that can transform into a Fermi liquid, depending on the composition $x$ and the impurity level. Near the nematic end point, we find an extended temperature regime with $T^{1.5}$ resistivity. The transverse magnetoresistance inside the nematic phase has as a $H^{1.55}$ dependence over a large magnetic field range and it displays an unusual peak at low temperatures inside the nematic phase. Our study reveals anomalous transport inside the nematic phase, driven by the subtle interplay between the changes in the electronic structure of a multi-band system and the unusual scattering processes affected by large magnetic fields and disorder
We present a comprehensive study of the evolution of the nematic electronic structure of FeSe using high resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), quantum oscillations in the normal state and elastoresistance measurements. Our high resolution ARPES allows us to track the Fermi surface deformation from four-fold to two-fold symmetry across the structural transition at ~87 K which is stabilized as a result of the dramatic splitting of bands associated with dxz and dyz character. The low temperature Fermi surface is that a compensated metal consisting of one hole and two electron bands and is fully determined by combining the knowledge from ARPES and quantum oscillations. A manifestation of the nematic state is the significant increase in the nematic susceptibility as approaching the structural transition that we detect from our elastoresistance measurements on FeSe. The dramatic changes in electronic structure cannot be explained by the small lattice effects and, in the absence of magnetic fluctuations above the structural transition, points clearly towards an electronically driven transition in FeSe stabilized by orbital-charge ordering.