A detailed magnetization study for the novel FeSe superconductor is carried out to investigate the behavior of the intrinsic magnetic susceptibility $χ$ in the normal state with temperature and under hydrostatic pressure. The temperature dependencies of $χ$ and its anisotropy $Δχ=χ_{|}-χ_{\bot}$ are measured for FeSe single crystals in the temperature range 4.2-300 K, and a substantial growth of susceptibility with temperature is revealed. The observed anisotropy $Δχ$ is very large and comparable with the averaged susceptibility at low temperatures. For a polycrystalline sample of FeSe, a significant pressure effect on $χ$ is determined to be essentially dependent on temperature. Ab initio calculations of the pressure dependent electronic structure and magnetic susceptibility indicate that FeSe is close to magnetic instability with dominating enhanced spin paramagnetism. The calculated paramagnetic susceptibility exhibits a strong dependence on the unit cell volume and especially on the height $Z$ of chalcogen species from the Fe plane. The change of $Z$ under pressure determines a large positive pressure effect on $χ$ which is observed at low temperatures. It is shown that the literature experimental data on the strong and nonmonotonic pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in FeSe correlate qualitatively with calculated behavior of the density of electronic states at the Fermi level.
The band structure and the Fermi surface of the recently discovered superconductor (EMIM)$_x$FeSe are studied within the density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation. We show that the bands near the Fermi level are formed primarily by Fe-$d$ orbitals. Although there is no direct contribution of EMIM orbitals to the near-Fermi level states, the presence of organic cations leads to a shift of the chemical potential. It results in the appearance of small electron pockets in the quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface of (EMIM)$_x$FeSe.
We report pair distribution function measurements of the iron-based superconductor FeSe above and below the structural transition temperature. Structural analysis reveals a local orthorhombic distortion with a correlation length of about 4 nm at temperatures where an average tetragonal symmetry is observed. The analysis further demonstrates that the local distortion is larger than the distortion at temperatures where the average observed symmetry is orthorhombic. Our results suggest that the low-temperature macroscopic nematic state in FeSe forms from an imperfect ordering of orbital-degenerac…
Topological nature of FeSe$_{0.5}$Te$_{0.5}$ superconductor
我们证明，使用第一性原理计算，FeSe $_{1-x}$ Te $_{x}$（$x$ =0.5）的电子结构是拓扑非平凡的，其特征在于由一个奇怪的$\mathbb Z_2$不变和狄拉克锥型表面状态，在鲜明的对比，以端成员FeSe（$x$ =0）。这种拓扑状态是由增强的三维性和自旋-轨道耦合引起的，由于Te取代（与FeSe相比），其特征在于在布里渊区的$Z$点处的带反转，这是由我们的ARPES测量证实的。结果表明，FeSe $_{0.5}$ Te $_{0.5}$的表面在体相附近可能存在非平凡的超导沟道.
Recent experiments have reported that inserting metal atoms or small molecules in between the FeSe layers of $β$-FeSe can significantly enhance the superconducting transition temperature. Here, based on first-principles electronic structure calculations, we propose a stable compound SnOFeSe by alternatively stacking the SnO and $β$-FeSe layers. The predicted SnOFeSe has the same tetragonal structure as the well-known FeAs-based compound LaOFeAs, meanwhile their electronic structures in the nonmagnetic state are quite similar. The magnetic ground state of SnOFeSe is predicted to be the dimer an…
A general feature of unconventional superconductors is the existence of a superconducting dome in the phase diagram as a function of carrier concentration. For the simplest iron-based superconductor FeSe (with transition temperature Tc ~ 8 K), its Tc can be greatly enhanced by doping electrons via many routes, even up to 65 K in monolayer FeSe/SiTiO3. However, a clear phase diagram with carrier concentration for FeSe-derived superconductors is still lacking. Here, we report the observation of a series of discrete superconducting phases in FeSe thin flakes by continuously tuning carrier concent…
The iron-based superconductor FeSe offers a unique possibility to study the interplay of superconductivity with purely nematic as well magnetic-nematic order by pressure (p) tuning. By measuring specific heat under p up to 2.36GPa, we study the multiple phases in FeSe using a thermodynamic probe. We conclude that superconductivity is bulk across the entire p range and competes with magnetism. Our analysis suggests that superconducting and magnetic fluctuations exist over a wide temperature range above the respective bulk transition temperatures, whenever magnetism is present. These observation…
Thickness dependence of superconductivity and superconductor-insulator transition in ultrathin FeSe films on SrTiO3(001) substrate
SrTiO 3（001）（STO）衬底上单胞FeSe薄膜的界面增强高温超导性是近年来凝聚态物理和材料科学研究的热点。本文利用非原位输运测量方法研究了STO衬底上不同厚度的FeSe超薄膜的超导电性。我们发现，开始超导转变温度（Tc）随FeSe薄膜厚度的增加而降低，这是在传统的超导薄膜中通常观察到的行为相反。通过对5 μ C FeSe薄膜的系统后退火，我们观察到了绝缘体到超导体的转变，根据相应的霍尔测量，在低温下伴随着占主导地位的载流子从空穴到电子的符号变化。
Exploration of new superconductors has always been one of the research directions in condensed matter physics. We report here a new layered heterostructure of [(Fe,Al)(OH)2][FeSe]1.2, which is synthesized by the hydrothermal ion-exchange technique. The structure is suggested by a combination of X-ray powder diffraction and the electron diffraction (ED). [(Fe,Al)(OH)2][FeSe]1.2 is composed of the alternating stacking of tetragonal FeSe layer and hexagonal (Fe,Al)(OH)2 layer. In [(Fe,Al)(OH)2][FeSe]1.2, there exists mismatch between the FeSe sub-layer and (Fe,Al)(OH)2 sub-layer, and the lattice …
Superconductivity arises from two distinct quantum phenomena: electron pairing and long-range phase coherence. In conventional superconductors, the two quantum phenomena generally take place simultaneously, while the electron pairing occurs at higher temperature than the long-range phase coherence in the underdoped high-Tc cuprate superconductors. Recently, whether electron pairing is also prior to long-range phase coherence in single-layer FeSe film on SrTiO3 substrate is under debate. Here, by measuring Knight shift and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate, we unambiguously reveal a pseudoga…
Electric Transport of a Single Crystal Iron Chalcogenide FeSe Superconductor: Evidence of Symmetry Breakdown Nematicity and Additional Ultrafast Dirac cone-Like Carriers
在FeAs超导体中普遍观察到SDW反铁磁（SDW-AF）低温相变，AF自旋涨落对超导配对机制起着重要作用.然而，在FeSe超导体中没有观察到类似的磁相变，这引起了相当多的讨论。我们报告的内在电子状态的铁硒阐明运输测量下磁场使用高品质的单晶。一个迁移率谱分析，从头算方法，不作假设的多载流子系统中的输运参数，提供了非常重要和明确的证据，另一个隐藏的顺序，最有可能的对称性破缺从四碳C4对称性的C2对称向列性与选择性d-轨道分裂，存在于超导FeSe的情况下以外的AF磁序自旋涨落。FeSe中的本征低温相处于几乎补偿的半金属态，但另外伴随有狄拉克锥状超快电子$\sim$ 10 $^4$ cm $^2$（VS）$^{-1}$作为少数载流子。
Monolayer FeSe grown on SrTiO$_3$ provides a new playground for high-Tc superconductivity. A recent study shows the importance of stripy instability for superconductivity enhancement in FeSe/SrTiO3. However, it is still under debate whether such a stripe phase is ubiquitously bound to the interfacial superconductivity. Here, we report on molecular beam epitaxy growth and low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy study of FeSe films on BaTiO$_3$(001). We find that the stripe phase is more prominent in FeSe/BaTiO$_3$. Long-range stripes exist in bilayer and triple-layer FeSe films at 4 K and…
Here we establish a combined electronic phase diagram of isoelectronic FeSe1-xSx (0.19 > x > 0.0) and FeSe1-yTey (0.04 < y < 1.0) single crystals. The FeSe1-yTey crystals with y = 0.04 - 0.30 are grown by a hydrothermal ion-deintercalation (HID) method. Based on combined experiments of the specific heat, electrical transport, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, no signature of the tetragonal-symmetry-broken transition to orthorhombic (nematic) phase is observed in the HID FeSe1-yTey samples, as compared with the FeSe1-xSx samples showing this transition at Ts. A ubiquitous dip-like …
What really happens in strongly correlated superconductors: Insights from a quantum Monte-Carlo study of high temperature superconductivity in FeSe films
Importance of structural distortions in enhancement of transition temperature in FeSe$_{1-x}$Te$_{x}$ superconductors
利用扩展X射线吸收精细结构（EXAFS）研究了FeSe $_{1-x}$ Te $_x$（x = 0，0.5和1.0）化合物中Fe K边的温度（12 K $\le$ T $\le$ 300 K）依赖的扩展X射线吸收精细结构，以了解Te掺杂FeSe时T $_C$增加的原因.虽然FeSe和FeSe $_{0.5}$ Te $_{0.5}$在超导起始附近存在局部畸变，但它们在非超导FeTe中似乎不存在。至关重要的是阴离子高度的变化。在FeSe $_{0.5}$ Te $_{0.5}$中，在超导起始附近，两个高度，$h_{Fe-Se}$和$h_{Fe-Te}$表现出几乎相反的行为。这些变化表明铁硫族化合物的铁硫族杂化和超导转变温度之间可能存在相关性。
The angular-dependent magnetoresistance (AMR) of the ab plane is measured on the single crystals of FeSe1-xSx (x = 0, 0.07, 0.13 and 1) and FeSe1-yTey (y = 0.06, 0.61 and 1) at various temperatures under fields up to 9 T. A pronounced twofold-anisotropic carrier-scattering effect is identified by AMR, and attributed to a magnetic-field-induced spin nematicity that emerges from the tetragonal normal-state regime below a characteristic temperature Tsn. This magnetically polarized spin nematicity is found to be ubiquitous in the isoelectronic FeSe1-xSx and FeSe1-yTey systems, no matter whether th…
Sublattice Dichotomy in Monolayer FeSe Superconductor
Tsinghua University（清华大学）；Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area（粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心）；Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院物理研究所）；University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学）；Frontier Science Center for Quantum Information（量子信息前沿科学中心）；Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学）；Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学）；New Cornerstone Science Laboratory（新基石科学实验室）
Identifying the symmetry of the wave function describing the Cooper pairs is pivotal in understanding the origin of high-temperature superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. Despite nearly a decade of intense investigation, the answer to this question remains elusive. Here we use the muon spin rotation/relaxation (muSR) technique to investigate the underlying symmetry of the pairing state of the FeSe superconductor, the basic building block of all iron-chalcogenide superconductors. Contrary to earlier muSR studies on powders and crystals, we show that while the superconducting gap is m…
We study the momentum-integrated quasiparticle interference (QPI) in the FeSe-based superconductors. This method was recently proposed theoretically and has been applied to determine the pairing symmetry in these materials experimentally. Our findings suggest that, if the incipient bands and the superconducting (SC) pairing on them are taken into consideration, then the experimentally measured bound states and momentum-integrated QPI can be well fitted, even if the SC order parameter does not change sign on the Fermi surfaces. Therefore, we offer an alternative explanation to the experimental …
Recent superconducting transition temperatures (Tc) over 100 K for monolayer FeSe on SrTiO3 have renewed interest in the bulk parent compound. In KCl:AlCl3 flux-transport-grown crystals of FeSe0.94Be0.06, FeSe0.97Be0.03 and, for comparison, FeSe, this work reports doping of FeSe using Be, among the smallest of possible dopants, corresponding to an effective chemical pressure. According to lattice parameter measurements, 6% Be doping shrank the tetragonal FeSe lattice equivalent to a physical pressure of 0.75 GPa. Using this flux-transport method of sample preparation, 6% of Be was the maximum …
We have carried out a detailed study to investigate the existence of an insulating parent phase for FeSe superconductor. The insulating Fe4Se5 with specific Fe-vacancy order shows a 3D-Mott variable range hopping behavior with a Verwey-like electronic correlation at around 45 K. The application of the RTA process at 450 celcius degree results in the destruction of Fe-vacancy order and induces more electron carriers by increasing the Fe3+ valence state. Superconductivity emerges with Tc ~ 8K without changing the chemical stoichiometry of the sample after the RTA process by resulting in the addi…
Single nonmagnetic impurity resonance in FeSe-based 122-type superconductors as a probe for pairing symmetry
我们研究了一个单一的非磁性杂质在A $_{y}$ Fe $_{2-x}$ Se $_{2}$（A=K，Rb，或Cs）超导体中的影响，通过考虑各种配对状态的基础上的三轨道模型与光电子能谱实验一致。通过自洽求解Bogoliubov-de Gennes方程，计算了杂质位上及其附近的局域态密度。在无节点的$d_{x^2-y^2}$波配对态中，杂质诱导的带隙束缚态仅在吸引杂质散射势下存在，如掺杂Co或Ni的情况，其特征在于强的粒子-空穴不对称性.这一性质可用于探测FeSe基122型超导体的配对对称性。
Simultaneous emergence of superconductivity, inter-pocket scattering and nematic fluctuation in potassium-coated FeSe superconductor
超导性起源于电子配对。因此，费米面上的配对沟道和配对胶是理解超导体的两个关键问题。最近，在电子掺杂的FeSe超导体中发现了超过40 K的高温超导性，包括K $_x$ Fe $_{2-y}$ Se $_2$、Li $_{0.8}$ Fe $_{0.2}$ OHFeSe和单层FeSe薄膜。然而，它们的配对机制仍然存在争议。本文研究了包钾FeSe单晶电子结构的系统演化。通过在样品表面上原位蒸发钾来精确控制掺杂水平。我们发现当费米面的Lifshitz跃迁使两个电子袋之间的袋间散射打开时，超导性就出现了。在相同的掺杂浓度下，电子有序度显著降低，在较宽的掺杂范围内，电子有序度仍有较大的涨落。我们的研究结果表明，在电子掺杂的FeSe超导体的超导电性，袋间散射，和涨落之间的潜在的相关性。
Superconductivity is significantly enhanced in monolayer FeSe grown on SrTiO3, but not for multilayer films, in which large strength of nematicity develops. However, the link between the high-transition temperature superconductivity in monolayer and the correlation related nematicity in multilayer FeSe films is not well understood. Here, we use low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy to study few-layer FeSe thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We observe an incommensurate long-range smectic phase, which solely appears in bilayer FeSe films. The smectic order still locally exists a…
The FeSe-based superconductors exhibit a wide range of critical temperature Tc under a variety of material and physical conditions, but extensive studies to date have yet to produce a consensus view on the underlying mechanism. Here we report on a systematic Raman scattering work on intercalated FeSe superconductors Lix(NH3)yFe2Se2 and (Li,Fe)OHFeSe compared to pristine FeSe. All three crystals show an anomalous power-law temperature dependence of phonon linewidths, deviating from the standard anharmonic behavior. This intriguing phenomenon is attributed to electron-phonon coupling effects enh…
