To identify the microscopic mechanism of heavy-fermion Cooper pairing is an unresolved challenge in quantum matter studies; it may also relate closely to finding the pairing mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Magnetically mediated Coope
r pairing has long been the conjectured basis of heavy-fermion superconductivity but no direct verification of this hypothesis was achievable. Here, we use a novel approach based on precision measurements of the heavy-fermion band structure using quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging, to reveal quantitatively the momentum-space (k-space) structure of the f-electron magnetic interactions of CeCoIn5. Then, by solving the superconducting gap equations on the two heavy-fermion bands $E_k^{alpha,beta}$ with these magnetic interactions as mediators of the Cooper pairing, we derive a series of quantitative predictions about the superconductive state. The agreement found between these diverse predictions and the measured characteristics of superconducting CeCoIn5, then provides direct evidence that the heavy-fermion Cooper pairing is indeed mediated by the f-electron magnetism.
The Cooper pairing mechanism of heavy-fermion superconductors, while long hypothesized as due to spin fluctuations, has not been determined. It is the momentum space (k-space) structure of the superconducting energy gap delta(k) that encodes specific
s of this pairing mechanism. However, because the energy scales are so low, it has not been possible to directly measure delta(k) for any heavy-fermion superconductor. Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (QPI) imaging, a proven technique for measuring the energy gaps of high-Tc superconductors, has recently been proposed as a new method to measure delta(k) in heavy-fermion superconductors, specifically CeCoIn5. By implementing this method, we immediately detect a superconducting energy gap whose nodes are oriented along k||(+-1, +-1)pi/a0 directions. Moreover, we determine the complete k-space structure of the delta(k) of a heavy-fermion superconductor. For CeCoIn5, this novel information includes: the complex band structure and Fermi surface of the hybridized heavy bands, the fact that highest magnitude delta(k) opens on a high-k band so that gap nodes occur at quite unanticipated k-space locations, and that the Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference patterns are most consistent with dx2-y2 gap symmetry. The availability of such quantitative heavy band- and gap-structure data will be critical in identifying the microscopic mechanism of heavy fermion superconductivity in this material, and perhaps in general.
Iron-based high temperature superconductivity develops when the `parent antiferromagnetic/orthorhombic phase is suppressed, typically by introduction of dopant atoms. But their impact on atomic-scale electronic structure, while in theory quite comple
x, is unknown experimentally. What is known is that a strong transport anisotropy with its resistivity maximum along the crystal b-axis, develops with increasing concentration of dopant atoms; this `nematicity vanishes when the `parent phase disappears near the maximum superconducting Tc. The interplay between the electronic structure surrounding each dopant atom, quasiparticle scattering therefrom, and the transport nematicity has therefore become a pivotal focus of research into these materials. Here, by directly visualizing the atomic-scale electronic structure, we show that substituting Co for Fe atoms in underdoped Ca(Fe1-xCox)2As2 generates a dense population of identical anisotropic impurity states. Each is ~8 Fe-Fe unit cells in length, and all are distributed randomly but aligned with the antiferromagnetic a-axis. By imaging their surrounding interference patterns, we further demonstrate that these impurity states scatter quasiparticles in a highly anisotropic manner, with the maximum scattering rate concentrated along the b-axis. These data provide direct support for the recent proposals that it is primarily anisotropic scattering by dopant-induced impurity states that generates the transport nematicity; they also yield simple explanations for the enhancement of the nematicity proportional to the dopant density and for the occurrence of the highest resistivity along the b-axis.
The exact nature of the low temperature electronic phase of the manganite materials family, and hence the origin of their colossal magnetoresistant (CMR) effect, is still under heavy debate. By combining new photoemission and tunneling data, we show
that in La{2-2x}Sr{1+2x}Mn2O7 the polaronic degrees of freedom win out across the CMR region of the phase diagram. This means that the generic ground state is that of a system in which strong electron-lattice interactions result in vanishing coherent quasi-particle spectral weight at the Fermi level for all locations in k-space. The incoherence of the charge carriers offers a unifying explanation for the anomalous charge-carrier dynamics seen in transport, optics and electron spectroscopic data. The stacking number N is the key factor for true metallic behavior, as an intergrowth-driven breakdown of the polaronic domination to give a metal possessing a traditional Fermi surface is seen in the bilayer system.
The pseudogap state is one of the peculiarities of the cuprate high temperature superconductors. Here we investigate its presence in BaCo$_{x}$Fe$_{2-x}$As$_{2}$, a member of the pnictide family, with temperature dependent scanning tunneling spectros
copy. We observe that for under, optimally and overdoped systems the gap in the tunneling spectra always closes at the bulk T$_{c}$, ruling out the presence of a pseudogap state. For the underdoped case we observe superconducting gaps over large fields of view, setting a lower limit of tens of nanometers on the length scale of possible phase separated regions.
We elucidate the termination surface of cleaved single crystals of the BaFe_(2-x)Co_(x)As_(2) and Fe_(y)Se_(1-x)Te_(x) families of the high temperature iron based superconductors. By combining scanning tunneling microscopic data with low energy elect
ron diffraction we prove that the termination layer of the Ba122 systems is a remnant of the Ba layer, which exhibits a complex diversity of ordered and disordered structures. The observed surface topographies and their accompanying superstructure reflections in electron diffraction depend on the cleavage temperature. In stark contrast, Fe_(y)Se_(1-x)Te_(x) possesses only a single termination structure - that of the tetragonally ordered Se_(1-x)Te_(x) layer.
Photoemission data taken with hard x-ray radiation on cleaved single crystals of the bilayered, colossal magnetoresistant manganite La_(2-2x)Sr_(1+2x)Mn_2O_7 (LSMO) with 0.30<x<0.50 are presented. Making use of the increased bulk-sensitivity upon har
d x-ray excitation it is shown that the core level footprint of the electronic structure of the LSMO cleavage surface is identical to that of the bulk. Furthermore, by comparing the core level shift of the different elements as a function of doping level x, it is shown that microscopic phase separation is unlikely to occur for this particular manganite well above the Curie temperature.
