No Arabic abstract
We investigate magnetic ordering in metallic Ba[Fe(1-x)Mn(x)](2)As(2) and discuss the unusual magnetic phase, which was recently discovered for Mn concentrations x > 10%. We argue that it can be understood as a Griffiths-type phase that forms above the quantum critical point associated with the suppression of the stripe-antiferromagnetic spin-density-wave (SDW) order in BaFe2As2 by the randomly introduced localized Mn moments acting as strong magnetic impurities. While the SDW transition at x = 0, 2.5% and 5% remains equally sharp, in the x = 12% sample we observe an abrupt smearing of the antiferromagnetic transition in temperature and a considerable suppression of the spin gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum. According to our muon-spin-relaxation, nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron-scattering data, antiferromagnetically ordered rare regions start forming in the x = 12% sample significantly above the Neel temperature of the parent compound. Upon cooling, their volume grows continuously, leading to an increase in the magnetic Bragg intensity and to the gradual opening of a partial spin gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum. Using neutron Larmor diffraction, we also demonstrate that the magnetically ordered volume is characterized by a finite orthorhombic distortion, which could not be resolved in previous diffraction studies most probably due to its coexistence with the tetragonal phase and a microstrain-induced broadening of the Bragg reflections. We argue that Ba[Fe(1-x)Mn(x)](2)As(2) could represent an interesting model spin-glass system, in which localized magnetic moments are randomly embedded into a SDW metal with Fermi surface nesting.
We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory calculations to study the electronic structure of Ba(Fe1-x-yCoxMny)2As2 for x=0.06 and 0<=y <=0.07. From ARPES we derive that the substitution of Fe by Mn does not lead to hole doping, indicating a localization of the induced holes. An evaluation of the measured spectral function does not indicate a diverging effective mass or scattering rate near optimal doping. Thus the present ARPES results indicate a continuous evolution of the quasiparticle interaction and therefore question previous quantum critical scenarios.
Here we present a combined study of the slightly underdoped novel pnictide superconductor Ba(1-x)K(x)Fe(2)As(2) by means of X-ray powder diffraction, neutron scattering, muon spin rotation (muSR), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Commensurate static magnetic order sets in below Tm ~ 70 K as inferred from the emergence of the magnetic (1 0 -3) reflection in the neutron scattering data and from the observation of damped oscillations in the zero-field-muSR asymmetry. Transverse-field muSR below Tc shows a coexistence of magnetically ordered and non-magnetic states, which is also confirmed by MFM imaging. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation into antiferromagnetic and superconducting/normal state regions on a lateral scale of several tens of nanometers. Our findings indicate that such mesoscopic phase separation can be considered an intrinsic property of some iron pnictide superconductors.
We observed the anisotropic superconducting-gap (SC-gap) structure of a slightly overdoped superconductor, Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ ($x=0.1$), using three-dimensional (3D) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Two hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) observed at the Brillouin zone center and an inner electron FS at the zone corner showed a nearly isotropic SC gap in 3D momentum space. However, the outer electron FS showed an anisotropic SC gap with nodes or gap minima around the M and A points. The different anisotropies obtained the SC gap between the outer and inner electron FSs cannot be expected from all theoretical predictions with spin fluctuation, orbital fluctuation, and both competition. Our results provide a new insight into the SC mechanisms of iron pnictide superconductors.
Neutron and x-ray diffraction studies of Ba(Fe{1-x}Mn{x})2As2 for low doping concentrations (x <= 0.176) reveal that at a critical concentration, 0.102 < x < 0.118, the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition abruptly disappears whereas magnetic ordering with a propagation vector of (1/2 1/2 1) persists. Among all of the iron arsenides this observation is unique to Mn-doping, and unexpected because all models for stripe-like antiferromagnetic order anticipate an attendant orthorhombic distortion due to magnetoelastic effects. We discuss these observations and their consequences in terms of previous studies of Ba(Fe{1-x}TM{x})2As2 compounds (TM = Transition Metal), and models for magnetic ordering in the iron arsenide compounds.
We report the Ni-doping effect on magnetism and superconductivity (SC) in an Eu-containing 112-type system Eu(Fe$_{1-x}$Ni$_{x})$As$_{2}$ ($0leq xleq 0.15$) by the measurements of resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat. The undoped EuFeAs$_2$ undergoes a spin-density-wave (SDW) transition at $T_mathrm{SDW}sim$ 105 K in the Fe sublattice and a magnetic ordering at $T_mathrm{m}sim$ 40 K in the Eu sublattice. Complex Eu-spin magnetism is manifested by a spin-glass reentrance at $T_mathrm{SG}sim$ 15 K and an additional spin reorientation at $T_mathrm{SR}sim$ 7 K. With Ni doping, the SDW order is rapidly suppressed, and SC emerges in the Ni-doping range of 0.01 $leq xleq$ 0.1 where a maximum of the superconducting transition temperature $T_mathrm{c}^{mathrm{max}}=$ 17.6 K shows up at $x$ = 0.04. On the other hand, $T_mathrm{m}$ decreases very slowly, yet $T_mathrm{SG}$ and $T_mathrm{SR}$ hardly change with the Ni doping. The phase diagram has been established, which suggests a very weak coupling between SC and Eu spins. The complex Eu-spin magnetism is discussed in terms of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions mediated by the conduction electrons from both layers of FeAs and As surrounding Eu$^{2+}$ ions.