No Arabic abstract
A direct and element-specific measurement of the local Fe spin moment has been provided by analyzing the Fe 3s core level photoemission spectra in the parent and optimally doped CeFeAsO1-xFx (x = 0, 0.11) and Sr(Fe1 xCox)2As2 (x = 0, 0.10) pnictides. The rapid time scales of the photoemission process allowed the detection of large local spin moments fluctuating on a 10-15 s time scale in the paramagnetic, anti-ferromagnetic and superconducting phases, indicative of the occurrence of ubiquitous strong Hunds magnetic correlations. The magnitude of the spin moment is found to vary significantly among different families, 1.3 muB in CeFeAsO and 2.1 muB in SrFe2As2. Surprisingly, the spin moment is found to decrease considerably in the optimally doped samples, 0.9 muB in CeFeAsO0.89F0.11 and 1.3 muB in Sr(Fe0.9Co0.1)2As2. The strong variation of the spin moment against doping and material type indicates that the spin moments and the motion of itinerant electrons are influenced reciprocally in a self-consistent fashion, reflecting the strong competition between the antiferromagnetic super-exchange interaction among the spin moments and the kinetic energy gain of the itinerant electrons in the presence of a strong Hunds coupling. By describing the evolution of the magnetic correlations concomitant with the appearance of superconductivity, these results constitute a fundamental step toward attaining a correct description of the microscopic mechanisms shaping the electronic properties in the pnictides, including magnetism and high temperature superconductivity.
In view of the recent experimental facts in the iron-pnictides, we make a proposal that the itinerant electrons and local moments are simultaneously present in such multiband materials. We study a minimal model composed of coupled itinerant electrons and local moments to illustrate how a consistent explanation of the experimental measurements can be obtained in the leading order approximation. In this mean-field approach, the spin-density-wave (SDW) order and superconducting pairing of the itinerant electrons are not directly driven by the Fermi surface nesting, but are mainly induced by their coupling to the local moments. The presence of the local moments as independent degrees of freedom naturally provides strong pairing strength for superconductivity and also explains the normal-state linear-temperature magnetic susceptibility above the SDW transition temperature. We show that this simple model is supported by various anomalous magnetic properties and isotope effect which are in quantitative agreement with experiments.
A magnetic field relaxation at the center of a pulse-magnetized single-domain Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductor at 78K has been studied. In case of a weak magnetization, the magnetic flux density increases logarithmically and normalized relaxation rate defined as S=-d(lnB)/d(lnt) is negative (S=-0.037). When an external magnetic field magnitude increases, the relaxation rate first decreases in absolute value, then changes sign (becomes positive, S>0) and after reaching some maximum finally reduces to a very small value. Non-monotonous dependence of S vs Ha is explained by a non-homogeneous local temperature distribution during a pulse magnetization.
The determination of the most appropriate starting point for the theoretical description of Fe-based materials hosting high temperature superconductivity remains among the most important unsolved problem in this relatively new field. Most of the work to date has focused on the pnictides, with LaFeAsO, BaFe2As2 and LiFeAs being representative parent compounds of three families known as 1111, 122 and 111, respectively. This Topic Review examines recent progress in this area, with particular emphasis on the implication of experimental data which have provided evidence for the presence of electron itinerancy and the detection of local spin moments. In light of the results presented, the necessity of a theoretical framework contemplating the presence and the interplay between itinerant electrons and large spin moments is discussed. It is argued that the physics at the heart of the macroscopic properties of pnictides Fe-based high temperature superconductors appears to be far more complex and interesting than initially predicted.
The t-t-t-J model of electrons interacting with three phonon modes (breathing, apical breathing, and buckling) is considered. The wave-vector dependence of the matrix elements of the electron-phonon interaction leads to opposite contributions to the pairing potential with the d-symmetry: the buckling mode facilitates electron pairing, while the breathing mode suppresses it. As a result, the critical temperature of La{2 - x}Sr{x}CuO{4} that is associated with the magnetic mechanism is lowered when phonons are taken into account.
75As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were performed on Ba(Fe1-xMnx)2As2 (xMn = 2.5%, 5% and 12%) single crystals. The Fe layer magnetic susceptibility far from Mn atoms is probed by the75As NMR line shift and is found similar to that of BaFe2As2, implying that Mn does not induce charge doping. A satellite line associated with the Mn nearest neighbours (n.n.) of 75As displays a Curie-Weiss shift which demonstrates that Mn carries a local magnetic moment. This is confirmed by the main line broadening typical of a RKKY-like Mn-induced staggered spin polarization. The Mn moment is due to the localization of the additional Mn hole. These findings explain why Mn does not induce superconductivity in the pnictides contrary to other dopants such as Co, Ni, Ru or K.