Intrinsic translational symmetry-breaking charge stripes in underdoped iron pnictides

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cheng, Qiang-Jun, Lou, Cong-Cong, Wang, Yong-Wei, Deng, Ze-Xian, Ma, Xu-Cun, Xue, Qi-Kun, Song, Can-Li
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866918359428235264
author Cheng, Qiang-Jun
Lou, Cong-Cong
Wang, Yong-Wei
Deng, Ze-Xian
Ma, Xu-Cun
Xue, Qi-Kun
Song, Can-Li
author_facet Cheng, Qiang-Jun
Lou, Cong-Cong
Wang, Yong-Wei
Deng, Ze-Xian
Ma, Xu-Cun
Xue, Qi-Kun
Song, Can-Li
contents Despite being well established in cuprates, an intrinsic translational symmetry-breaking charge order has not been clearly identified in iron-based superconductors. Using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy on epitaxial Ca(Fe1-xCox)2As2 (x = 0 ~ 0.055) thin films, we observe smectic, near-commensurate charge-stripe order in the underdoped regime that intervenes between the nematic parent phase and optimally doped superconductivity. Distinct from the bidirectional checkerboard-like order in cuprates, these charge stripes are unidirectional along the antiferromagnetic Fe-Fe bond direction and are accompanied by a van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, inherited from the Fermi surface reconstruction driven by intertwined antiferromagnetic and nematic correlations. Both local and global suppression of the charge-stripe instability enhance superconductivity, tunable via epitaxial strain and Co doping. These results establish charge-stripe order as an intermediate electronic phase in iron pnictides and reveal a coherent pathway from nematicity to superconductivity. Our findings highlight charge ordering as a unifying element across different families of high-temperature superconductors.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_23680
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Intrinsic translational symmetry-breaking charge stripes in underdoped iron pnictides
Cheng, Qiang-Jun
Lou, Cong-Cong
Wang, Yong-Wei
Deng, Ze-Xian
Ma, Xu-Cun
Xue, Qi-Kun
Song, Can-Li
Superconductivity
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Despite being well established in cuprates, an intrinsic translational symmetry-breaking charge order has not been clearly identified in iron-based superconductors. Using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy on epitaxial Ca(Fe1-xCox)2As2 (x = 0 ~ 0.055) thin films, we observe smectic, near-commensurate charge-stripe order in the underdoped regime that intervenes between the nematic parent phase and optimally doped superconductivity. Distinct from the bidirectional checkerboard-like order in cuprates, these charge stripes are unidirectional along the antiferromagnetic Fe-Fe bond direction and are accompanied by a van Hove singularity near the Fermi level, inherited from the Fermi surface reconstruction driven by intertwined antiferromagnetic and nematic correlations. Both local and global suppression of the charge-stripe instability enhance superconductivity, tunable via epitaxial strain and Co doping. These results establish charge-stripe order as an intermediate electronic phase in iron pnictides and reveal a coherent pathway from nematicity to superconductivity. Our findings highlight charge ordering as a unifying element across different families of high-temperature superconductors.
title Intrinsic translational symmetry-breaking charge stripes in underdoped iron pnictides
topic Superconductivity
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.23680