In this work, we establish a few exact identities through commutation of intra-orbital and inter-orbital on-site pairings with a two-orbital model describing newly discovered FeAs-based superconductors. Applying the conclusion drawn from rigorous relation and physical interpretation, we give constraints on the possible symmetries of the superconducting pairing of the model. Hence the favorable pairings in newly discovered high-temperature oxypnictide superconductors are proposed.
In this paper we present a real space pairing glue for the iron-based layered superconductors. It is shown that two static electrons embedded symmetrically into two adjacent Fe plaquettes of the superconductor can be bounded due to the Coulombic interaction. The pairing mechanism favors the existence of the pseudogap in the underdoped FeAs superconductors. A criterion is introduced to distinguish whether or not the pseudogap can open in a material.
In the present paper, we propose the parity even,orbital singlet and spin triplet pairing state as the ground state of the newly discovered super-conductor $LaO_{1-x}F_xFeAs$.The pairing mechanism involves both the special shape of the electron fermi surface and the strong ferromagnetic fluctuation induced by Hund's rule coupling.The special behavior of the Bogoliubov quasi-particle spectrum may leads to "Fermi arc" like anisotropy super-conducting gap, which can be detected by angle resolved photo emission(ARPES).The impurity effects are also discussed.
We apply the fermion functional renormalization group method to determine the pairing symmetry and pairing mechanism of the FeAs-Based materials. Within a five band model with pure repulsive interactions, we find an electronic-driven superconducting pairing instability. For the doping and interaction parameters we have examined, extended s-wave, whose order parameter takes on opposite sign on the electron and hole pockets, is always the most favorable pairing symmetry. The pairing mechanism is the inter Fermi surface Josephson scattering generated by the antiferromagnetic correlation.
We present the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes calculations of an $sπ$ pairing state of two band superconductivity as a model for the FeAs superconductors. The $sπ$ state is an s-wave pairing state with an internal $π$ phase, that is, nodeless gaps on each band but with the opposite sign. The novel features of this state are investigated by calculating the local density of states of the $π$ phase superconductor/normal metal bilayers. Because of the sign reversal between the two condensates, the zero bias conductance peak appears as observed in tunneling spectroscopy experiments on FeAs su…
We investigate the competition between the extended $s_{\pm}$-wave and $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave pairing order parameters in the iron-based superconductors. Because of the frustrating pairing interactions among the electron and the hole fermi pockets, a time reversal symmetry breaking $s+id$ pairing state could be favored. We analyze this pairing state within the Ginzburg-Landau theory, and explore the experimental consequences. In such a state, spatial inhomogeneity induces supercurrent near a non-magnetic impurity and the corners of a square sample. The resonance mode between the $s_{\pm}$ and $d_{…
We present a systematic photoemission study of the newly discovered high Tc superconductor class (Sr/Ba)1-xKxFe2As2. By utilizing a unique photon energy range and scattering geometry we resolve the details of the single particle dynamics of interacting electrons on the central Fermi surfaces of this series which shows overall strong coupling behavior (2D/kBTc = 6). Quasiparticle dispersion kinks are observed in a binding energy range of 15 to 50 meV which matches the magnetic excitation energy scales (parameterized by J1,J2). The size of the Cooper pair wavefunction is found to be less than 20…
The low energy band structure of the FeAs based superconductors is fitted by a tight binding model with two Fe ions per unit cell and two degenerate orbitals per Fe ion. Based on this, superconductivity with extended s-wave pairing symmetry of the form $\cos k_x +\cos k_y$ is examined. The local density of states near an impurity is also investigated by using T-matrix approach. For the nonmagnetic scattering potential, we found that there exist two major resonances inside the gap. The height of the resonance peaks depends on the strength of the impurity potential. These in-gap resonances are o…
Muon spin relaxation ($μ$SR) studies of the "1111" and "122" FeAs systems have detected static magnetism with variably sized ordered moments in their parent compounds. The phase diagrams of FeAs, CuO, organic BEDT, A$_{3}$C$_{60}$ and heavy-fermion systems indicate competition between static magnetism and superconductivity, associated with first-order phase transitions at quantum phase boundaries. In both FeAs and CuO systems, the superfluid density $n_{s}/m^{*}$ at $T \to 0$ exhibits a nearly linear scaling with $T_{c}$. Analogous to the roton-minimum energy scaling with the lambda transition…
The isotope effects for Fe based superconductors are considered by including the phonon and magnetic fluctuations within the two band Eliashberg theory. We show that the recently observed inverse isotope effects of Fe, $α_{Fe} \approx -0.18 \pm 0.03 $,\cite{Shirage0903.3515} as well as the large positive isotope exponent ($α\approx 0.35$) can naturally arise for the magnetically induced sign revered s-wave pairing state within reasonable parameter range. Either experimental report can not be discarded from the present analysis based on the parameter values they require. The inverse and positiv…
Josephson junctions between a $FeAs$-based superconductor with antiphase s-wave pairing and a conventional s-wave superconductor are studied. The translational invariance in a planar junction between a single crystal pnictide and an aluminum metal greatly enhances the relative weight of electron pockets in the pnictide to the critical current. In a wide doping region of the pnictide, a planar and a point contact junctions have opposite phases, which can be used to design a tri-junction ring with $π$ phase to probe the antiphase pairing.
We study the pairing symmetry of a two orbital $J_1-J_2$ model for FeAs layers in oxypnictides. We vary the doping and the value of $J_1$ and $J_2$ to compare all possible pairing symmetries in a mean-field calculation. We show that the mixture of an intra-orbital unconventional $s_{x^2y^2}\sim \cos(k_x)\cos(k_y)$ pairing symmetry and a $d_{x^2-y^2}\sim \cos(k_x)-\cos(k_y)$ pairing symmetry is favored in a large part of $J_1-J_2$ phase diagram. A pure $ s_{x^2y^2}$ pairing state is favored for $J_2>>J_1$. The signs of the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ order parameters in two different orbitals are opposite. W…
Considering model Hamiltonians that respect the symmetry properties of the pnictides, it is argued that pairing interactions that couple electrons at different orbitals with an orbital-dependent pairing strength inevitably lead to interband pairing matrix elements, at least in some regions of the Brillouin zone. Such interband pairing has not been considered of relevance in multiorbital systems in previous investigations. It is also observed that if, instead, a purely intraband pairing interaction is postulated, this requires that the pairing operator has the form $Δ^+(k)=f(k) \sum_α d^+_{k,α,…
The electronic states of the FeAs plane in iron-based superconductors are investigated on the basis of the two-dimensional 16-band d-p model, where the tight-binding parameters are determined so as to fit the band structure obtained by the density functional calculation for LaFeAsO. The model includes the Coulomb interaction on a Fe site: the intra- and inter-orbital direct terms U and U', the exchange coupling J and the pair-transfer J'. Within the random phase approximation (RPA), we discuss the pairing symmetry of possible superconducting states including s-wave and d-wave pairing on the U'…
In high temperature cuprate superconductors, the interlayer coupling between the CuO$_2$ planes plays an important role in dictating superconductivity, as indicated by the sensitive dependence of the critical temperature (T$_C$) on the number of CuO$_2$ planes in one structural unit. In Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+δ}$ superconductor with two CuO$_2$ planes in one structural unit, the interaction between the two CuO$_2$ planes gives rise to band splitting into two Fermi surface sheets (bilayer splitting) that have distinct superconducting gap. The iron based superconductors are composed of stacki…
Using the numerical unrestricted Hartree-Fock approach, we study the ground state of a two-orbital model describing newly discovered FeAs-based superconductors. We observe the competition of a $(0, π)$ mode spin-density wave and the superconductivity as the doping concentration changes. There might be a small region in the electron-doping side where the magnetism and superconductivity coexist. The superconducting pairing is found to be spin singlet, orbital even, and mixed s$_{xy}$ + d$_{x^{2}-y^{2}}$ wave (even parity).
The effect of non-magnetic Zn impurity on superconductivity in LaFe$_{1-y}$Zn$_y$AsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ system is studied systematically. In the presence of Zn impurity, the superconducting transition temperature increases in the under-doped regime, remains unchanged in the optimally doped regime, and is severely suppressed in the over-doped regime. Our results suggest a switch of the symmetry of the superconducting order parameters from a $s$-wave to $s_{\pm}$ or $d$-wave states as the charge carrier doping increases in FeAs-based superconductors.
Under the assumption that superconducting pairing is driven by local d-p hybridization, we show that the superconducting state in iron-based superconductors is classified as an odd parity s-wave spin-singlet pairing state in a single trilayer FeAs/Se, the building block of the materials. In a low energy effective model with only d-orbitals in an iron square bipartite lattice, the superconducting order parameter in this state is a combination of a s-wave normal pairing between two sublattices and a s-wave $η$-pairing within the sublattices. Parity conservation was violated in proposed supercond…
We examine the possibility that the superconductivity in the newly discovered FeAs materials may be caused by the Coulomb interaction between d-electrons of the iron atoms. We find that when the Hund's rule ferromagnetic interaction is strong enough, the leading pairing instability is in spin-triplet p-wave channel in the weak coupling limit. The resulting superconducting gap has nodal lines on the 3D Fermi surfaces. The k dependent hybridization of several orbitals around a Fermi pocket is the key for the appearance of the spin-triplet p-wave pairing.
The newly discovered superconductor La(O,F)FeAs (Tc = 26 K) was investigated using the neutron scattering technique. No spin-density-wave (SDW) order was observed in the normal state nor in the superconducting state, both with and without an applied magnetic field of 9 T, consistent with the proposal that SDW and superconductivity are competing in the laminar materials. While our inelastic measurements offer no constraints on the spin dynamic response from d-wave pairing, an upper limit for the magnetic resonance peak predicted from an extended s-wave pairing mechanism is provided. Our measure…
We show that the competition between magnetism and superconductivity can be used to determine the pairing state in the iron arsenides. To this end we demonstrate that the itinerant antiferromagnetic phase (AFM) and the unconventional $s^{+-}$ sign-changing superconducting state (SC) are near the borderline of microscopic coexistence and macroscopic phase separation, explaining the experimentally observed competition of both ordered states. In contrast, conventional $s^{++}$ pairing is not able to coexist with magnetism. Expanding the microscopic free energy of the system with competing orders …
We present the results of a quantum Monte Carlo study of the extended $s$ and the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing correlation functions for the two-dimensional Hubbard model, computed with the constrained-path method. For small lattice sizes and weak interactions, we find that the $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing correlations are stronger than the extended $s$ pairing correlations and are positive when the pair separation exceeds several lattice constants. As the system size or the interaction strength increases, the magnitude of the long-range part of both correlation functions vanishes.
The tremendous development of cold atom physics has opened up a whole new opportunity to study novel states of matter which are not easily accessible in solid state systems. Here we propose to realize the $f$-wave pairing superfluidity of spinless fermions in the $p_{x,y}$-orbital bands of the two dimensional honeycomb optical lattices. The non-trivial orbital band structure rather than strong correlation effects gives rise to the unconventional pairing with the nodal lines of the $f$-wave symmetry. With a confining harmonic trap, zero energy Andreev bound states appear around the circular bou…
We present the ground state pairing correlations in the $S_4$ symmetric microscopic model for iron-based superconductors, computed with the constrained-path Monte Carlo method. For various electron fillings and interaction strengths, we find that the $s_{xy}$ pairing dominates over other pairing correlations and is positive when the pair separation exceeds several lattice constants, whatever for iron pnictides and iron chlcogenides. These ground state properties, especially the long range part pairing correlations re-confirm the previous finite temperature results published in Phys. Rev. Lett.…
We present a 77Se NMR study of the newly discovered iron selenide superconductor KyFe2-xSe2, in which Tc = 32 K. Below Tc, the Knight shift 77K drops sharply with temperature, providing strong evidence for singlet pairing. Above Tc, Korringa-type relaxation indicates Fermi-liquid behavior. Our experimental results set strict constraints on the nature of possible theories for the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity in this iron selenide system.
This paper summarizes the results of a comprehensive analysis of the thermodynamic and transport data for the superconducting phases of UPt_3. Calculations of the transverse sound attenuation as a function of temperature, frequency, polarization, and disorder are presented for the leading models of the superconducting order parameter. Measurements of the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and transverse sound attenuation place strong constraints on the orbital symmetry of the superconducting order parameter. We show that the superconducting A and B phases are in excellent agreement with pair…
We show that a two-dimensional semiconductor with Rashba spin-orbit coupling could be driven into the second-order topological superconducting phase when a mixed-pairing state is introduced. The superconducting order we consider involves only even-parity components and meanwhile breaks time-reversal symmetry. As a result, each corner of a square-shaped Rashba semiconductor would host one single Majorana zero mode in the second-order nontrivial phase. Starting from edge physics, we are able to determine the phase boundaries accurately. A simple criterion for the second-order phase is further es…
Parity is a fundamental quantum number to classify a state of matter. Materials rarely possess ground states with odd parity. We show that the superconducting state in iron-based superconductors is classified as an odd parity s-wave spin-singlet pairing state in a single trilayer FeAs/Se, the building block of the materials. In a low energy effective model constructed on the Fe square bipartite lattice, the superconducting order parameter in this state is a combination of a s-wave normal pairing between two sublattices and a s-wave $η$-pairing within the sublattices. Parity conservation was vi…
We have analyzed heat capacity and thermal conductivity measurements of Sr2RuO4 in the normal and superconducting state and come to the conclusion that an order parameter with nodal lines on the Fermi surface is required to account for the observed low-temperature behavior. A gapped order parameter is inconsistent with the reported thermodynamic and transport data. Guided by a strongly peaked dynamical susceptibility along the diagonals of the Brillouin zone in neutron scattering data, we suggest a spin-fluctuation mechanism that would favor the pairing state with the gap maxima along the zone…
We present point-contact spectroscopy data for junctions between a normal metal and the newly discovered F-doped superconductor LaO$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1-δ}$FeAs (F-LaOFeAs). A zero-bias conductance peak was observed and its shape and magnitude suggests the presence of Andreev bound states at the surface of F-LaOFeAs, which provides a possible evidence of an unconventional pairing symmetry with a nodal gap function. The maximum gap value $Δ_0\approx3.9\pm0.7$meV was determined from the measured spectra, in good agreement with the recent experiments on specific heat and lower critical field.
High Tc superconductivity in FeAs-based multilayers (pnictides), evading temperature decoherence effects in a quantum condensate, is assigned to a Feshbach resonance (called also shape resonance) in the exchange-like interband pairing. The resonance is switched on by tuning the chemical potential at an electronic topological transition (ETT) near a band edge, where the Fermi surface topology of one of the subbands changes from 1D to 2D topology. We show that the tuning is realized by changing i) the misfit strain between the superconducting planes and the spacers ii) the charge density and iii…
Developing a theory of high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides is one of the outstanding problems in physics. It is a challenge that has defeated theoretical physicists for more than twenty years. Attempts to understand this problem are hindered by the subtle interplay among a few mechanisms and the presence of several nearly degenerate and competing phases in these systems. Here we present some crucial experiments that place essential constraints on the pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. The observed unconventional oxygenisotope effects in cuprates have clear…
We use group theory to classify the superconducting states of systems with two orbitals on a tetragonal lattice. The orbital part of the superconducting gap function can be either symmetric or anti-symmetric. For the orbital symmetric state, the parity is even for spin singlet and odd for spin triplet; for the orbital anti-symmetric state, the parity is odd for spin singlet and even for spin triplet. The gap basis functions are obtained with the use of the group chain scheme by taking into account the spin-orbit coupling. In the weak pairing limit, the orbital anti-symmetric state is only stab…
Interfacial phonons between iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) and perovskite substrates have received considerable attention due to the possibility of enhancing preexisting superconductivity. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we studied the correlation between superconductivity and e-ph interaction with interfacial-phonons in an iron-based superconductor Sr$_2$VO$_3$FeAs ($T_c \approx$ 33 K) made of alternating FeSC and oxide layers. The quasiparticle interference measurement over regions with systematically different average superconducting gaps due to the e-ph coupling locally modulate…
We use a symmetry-constrained variational procedure to construct a generalization of BCS to include Cooper pairs with non-zero momentum and angular momentum. The resulting gap equations are solved at zero and finite temperature, and the doping-dependent solutions are used to construct gap and phase diagrams. We find a pseudogap terminating at a critical doping that may be interpreted in terms of both competing order and preformed pairs. The strong similarity between observation and predicted gap and phase structure suggests that this approach may provide a unified description of the complex st…
Ionic-Bond-Driven Atom-Bridged Room-Temperature Cooper Pairing in Cuprates and Nickelates: a Theoretical Framework Supported by 32 Experimental Evidences
One of the most popular scenarios for the superconductivity in Fe-based superconductors (FeBSC) posits that the bosons responsible for electronic pairing are spin-fluctuations with a wave vector spanning the hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) near $Γ$ and the electron FSs near M points. So far all FeBSC for which neutron data are available do demonstrate such excitations, and the band structure calculations so far were finding quasi-nested FSs in all FeBSC, providing for a peak in the spin susceptibility at the desired wave vectors. However, the newest addition to the family, Sr$_{2}$VO$_{3}$FeAs, has …
We generalize the $η$-pairing theory in Hubbard models to the ones with spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and obtain the conditions under which the $η$-pairing operator is an eigenoperator of the Hamiltonian. The $η$ pairing thus reveals an exact $SU(2)$ pseudospin symmetry in our spin-orbit coupled Hubbard model, even though the $SU(2)$ spin symmetry is explicitly broken by the SOC. In particular, these exact results can be applied to a variety of Hubbard models with SOC on either bipartite or non-bipartite lattices, whose noninteracting limit can be a Dirac semimetal, a Weyl semimetal, a nodal-line …
Based on ab-initio calculated parameters, we apply a theoretical model on the iron-based BaFe2As2 superconductor that takes into account dramatic enhancements of the electron-phonon coupling of soft transverse phonons in the FeAs layers and antiferromagnetism. Our model is able to reproduce the Tc values of BaFe2As2 found under pressure in experiments. To calculate the Tc of the K-doped Ba1-xKxFe2As2 system as a function of the K content, we additionally consider the experimentally observed effective mass enhancements and Kondo temperatures in the strongly over-doped region (0.8 < x < 1), whic…
A single band $t$-$U$-$J_1$-$J_2$ model is proposed as the minimum model to describe the superconductivity of the newly discovered iron-based superconductors $R(O_{1-x}F_x)FeAs$ and $RO_{1-x}FeAs$ ($R=La, Ce, Sm, Pr, Nd,Gd$). With the mean-field approach, it is found that the pairing occurs in the d-wave channel. In the likely parameter region of the real materials, by lowering temperature, the system enters firstly the $d_{xy}$ superconducting phase with $D_{4h}$-symmetry and then enters the time-reversal-symmetry-broken $d_{xy}+id_{x^2-y^2}$ superconducting phase with $C_{4h}$-symmetry.
Directional Andreev-Reflection Signatures of Inter-Orbital Pairing in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$
CNR-SPIN, c/o Università di Salerno（意大利萨莱诺大学CNR-SPIN研究所）；Faculty of Environmental Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University（冈山大学环境生命理工学部）；Department of Applied Physics, Nagoya University（名古屋大学应用物理系）；Max-Planck Institute for Solid State Research（斯图加特马克斯·普朗克固体研究所）；University of St Andrews（圣安德鲁斯大学）；Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino（都灵理工大学应用科学与技术系）
Motivated by the recent contradiction of the superconducting pairing symmetry in the angle-resolved photoemission spectra (ARPES) and the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data in the FeAs superconductors, we present the theoretical results on the phase diagram, the temperature dependent Fermi surfaces in normal state, the ARPES character of quasiparticles and the spin-lattice relaxation 1/T$_{1}$ of the two-orbital t-t$^{'}$-J-J$^{'}$ models. Our results show that most of the properties observed in iron-based superconductors could be comprehensively understood in the present scenario qualitati…
Considerable progress has been made over the last decade in understanding the phenomenological properties of the cuprate high-T$_{c}$ superconductors and in producing well characterized high quality materials. Nevertheless, the pairing mechanism itself remains controversial. We establish a criterion to test theories for layered superconductors relying on a substantial interlayer contribution. The criterion is based on the ratio of the interlayer contribution to the total superfluid density, which is traced back to the inverse squared effective mass anisotropy. The anisotropy can be measured ra…
