Elastocaloric evidence for a multicomponent superconductor stabilized within the nematic state in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Ghosh, Sayak, Ikeda, Matthias S., Chakraborty, Anzumaan R., Worasaran, Thanapat, Theuss, Florian, Peralta, Luciano B., Lozano, P. M., Kim, Jong-Woo, Ryan, Philip J., Ye, Linda, Kapitulnik, Aharon, Kivelson, Steven A., Ramshaw, B. J., Fernandes, Rafael M., Fisher, Ian R.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Ghosh, Sayak
Ikeda, Matthias S.
Chakraborty, Anzumaan R.
Worasaran, Thanapat
Theuss, Florian
Peralta, Luciano B.
Lozano, P. M.
Kim, Jong-Woo
Ryan, Philip J.
Ye, Linda
Kapitulnik, Aharon
Kivelson, Steven A.
Ramshaw, B. J.
Fernandes, Rafael M.
Fisher, Ian R.
author_facet Ghosh, Sayak
Ikeda, Matthias S.
Chakraborty, Anzumaan R.
Worasaran, Thanapat
Theuss, Florian
Peralta, Luciano B.
Lozano, P. M.
Kim, Jong-Woo
Ryan, Philip J.
Ye, Linda
Kapitulnik, Aharon
Kivelson, Steven A.
Ramshaw, B. J.
Fernandes, Rafael M.
Fisher, Ian R.
contents The iron-based high-$T_c$ superconductors exhibit rich phase diagrams with intertwined phases, including magnetism, nematicity and superconductivity. The superconducting $T_c$ in many of these materials is maximized in the regime of strong nematic fluctuations, making the role of nematicity in influencing the superconductivity a topic of intense research. Here, we use the AC elastocaloric effect (ECE) to map out the phase diagram of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ near optimal doping. The ECE signature at $T_c$ on the overdoped side, where superconductivity condenses without any nematic order, is quantitatively consistent with other thermodynamic probes that indicate a single-component superconducting state. In contrast, on the slightly underdoped side, where superconductivity condenses within the nematic phase, ECE reveals a second thermodynamic transition proximate to and below $T_c$. We rule out magnetism and re-entrant tetragonality as the origin of this transition, and find that our observations strongly suggest a phase transition into a multicomponent superconducting state. This implies the existence of a sub-dominant pairing instability that competes strongly with the dominant $s^\pm$ instability. Our results thus motivate a re-examination of the pairing state and its interplay with nematicity in this extensively studied iron-based superconductor, while also demonstrating the power of ECE in uncovering strain-tuned phase diagrams of quantum materials.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_17945
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Elastocaloric evidence for a multicomponent superconductor stabilized within the nematic state in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$
Ghosh, Sayak
Ikeda, Matthias S.
Chakraborty, Anzumaan R.
Worasaran, Thanapat
Theuss, Florian
Peralta, Luciano B.
Lozano, P. M.
Kim, Jong-Woo
Ryan, Philip J.
Ye, Linda
Kapitulnik, Aharon
Kivelson, Steven A.
Ramshaw, B. J.
Fernandes, Rafael M.
Fisher, Ian R.
Superconductivity
Strongly Correlated Electrons
The iron-based high-$T_c$ superconductors exhibit rich phase diagrams with intertwined phases, including magnetism, nematicity and superconductivity. The superconducting $T_c$ in many of these materials is maximized in the regime of strong nematic fluctuations, making the role of nematicity in influencing the superconductivity a topic of intense research. Here, we use the AC elastocaloric effect (ECE) to map out the phase diagram of Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ near optimal doping. The ECE signature at $T_c$ on the overdoped side, where superconductivity condenses without any nematic order, is quantitatively consistent with other thermodynamic probes that indicate a single-component superconducting state. In contrast, on the slightly underdoped side, where superconductivity condenses within the nematic phase, ECE reveals a second thermodynamic transition proximate to and below $T_c$. We rule out magnetism and re-entrant tetragonality as the origin of this transition, and find that our observations strongly suggest a phase transition into a multicomponent superconducting state. This implies the existence of a sub-dominant pairing instability that competes strongly with the dominant $s^\pm$ instability. Our results thus motivate a re-examination of the pairing state and its interplay with nematicity in this extensively studied iron-based superconductor, while also demonstrating the power of ECE in uncovering strain-tuned phase diagrams of quantum materials.
title Elastocaloric evidence for a multicomponent superconductor stabilized within the nematic state in Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$
topic Superconductivity
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.17945