Discrete superconducting phases in FeSe-derived superconductors
T. P. Ying, M. X. Wang, Z. Y. Zhao, Z. Z. Zhang, X. Y. Jia, Y. C. Li, B. Lei, Q. Li, Y. Yu, E. J. Cheng, Z. H. An, Y. Zhang, W. Yang, X. H. Chen, S. Y. Li
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 concentration through the intercalation of Li and Na ions with a solid ionic gating technique. Such discrete superconducting phases are robust against the substitution of Se by 20% S, but are vulnerable to the substitution of Fe by 2% Cu, highlighting the importance of the iron site being intact. A complete superconducting phase diagram for FeSe-derivatives is given, which is distinct from other unconventional superconductors.
High-temperature superconductivity and a wide variety of exotic superconducting states discovered in FeSe-based materials have been at the frontier of research on condensed matter physics over the past decade. Unique properties originating from the multiband electronic structure, strongly orbital-dependent phenomena, extremely small Fermi energy, electronic nematicity, and topological aspects give rise to many distinct and fascinating superconducting states. Here, we provide an overview of our current understanding of the superconductivity of {\it bulk} FeSe-based materials, focusing on FeSe a…
The single-layer FeSe films grown on SrTiO3 (STO) substrates have attracted much attention because of its record high superconducting critical temperature (Tc). It is usually believed that the composition of the epitaxially grown single-layer FeSe/STO films is stoichiometric, i.e., the ratio of Fe and Se is 1:1. Here we report the identification of a large amount of excess Fe in the superconducting single-layer FeSe/STO films. By depositing Se onto the superconducting single-layer FeSe/STO films, we find by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) the formation of the second-layer FeSe isla…
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。
What really happens in strongly correlated superconductors: Insights from a quantum Monte-Carlo study of high temperature superconductivity in FeSe films
High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission measurements were taken on FeSe$_{1-x}$S$_x$ (x=0, 0.04, and 0.08) superconductors. With an ultrahigh energy resolution of 0.4 meV, unusual two hole bands near the Brillouin-zone center, which was possibly a result of additional symmetry breaking, were identified in all the sulfur-substituted samples. In addition, in both of the hole bands highly anisotropic superconducting gaps with resolution limited nodes were evidenced. We find that the larger superconducting gap on the outer hole band is reduced linearly to the nematic transition temperature wh…
The superconducting transition temperature, $T_{\rm{c}}$, of FeSe can be significantly enhanced several-fold by applying pressure, electron doping, intercalating spacing layer, and reducing dimensionality. Various ordered electronic phases, such as nematicity and spin density waves, have also been observed accompanying high-$T_{\rm{c}}$ superconductivity. Investigation on the evolution of the electronic structure with $T_{\rm{c}}$ is essential to understanding electronic behavior and high-$T_{\rm{c}}$ superconductivity in FeSe and its derived superconductors. In this report, we have found a se…
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.
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）
The single-layer FeSe/SrTiO3 (FeSe/STO) films have attracted much attention because of their simple crystal structure, distinct electronic structure and record high superconducting transition temperature (Tc). The origin of the dramatic Tc enhancement in single-layer FeSe/STO films and the dichotomy of superconductivity between single-layer and multiple-layer FeSe/STO films are still under debate. Here we report a comprehensive high resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy measurements on the electronic structure evolution with doping …
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。
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…
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…
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.
FeSe is argued as a superconductor in the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer Bose-Einstein-condensation crossover regime where the superconducting-gap size and the superconducting transition temperature Tc are comparable to the Fermi energy. In this regime, vortex bound states should be well quantized and the preformed pairs above Tc may yield a pseudogap in the quasiparticle-excitation spectrum. We performed spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy to search for these features. We found Friedel-like oscillations near the vortex, which manifest the quantized levels, whereas the pseudogap was…
Evidence for Unconventional Superconductivity in Arsenic-Free Iron-Based Superconductor FeSe : A ^77Se-NMR Study
本文报道了具有与LaFeAsO $_{1-x}$ F $_x$超导体相似的晶体结构的$α$的核磁共振（NMR）结果.核自旋晶格弛豫速率$1/T_1$在超导转变温度$T_c$以下表现出$T^3$行为，没有相干峰。在高于$T_c$的宽温度范围内，可以看到指示费米液态的$T_1T=$恒定行为。$α$ -FeSe的超导电性与LaFeAsO $_{1-x}$ F $_x$及相关材料一样，也是一种非常规的超导电性. FeAs层对非常规超导性的发生不是必需的。
In this work, we investigate the local density of states (LDOS) near a magnetic impurity in single-layer FeSe superconductors. The two-orbital model with spin-orbit coupling proposed in Ref. [{\emph{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{119}, 267001 (2017)}] is used to describe the FeSe superconductor. In the strong coupling regime, two impurity resonance peaks appear with opposite resonance energies in the LDOS spectral function. For a strong spin-orbit coupling, the superconducting gap in this model is $d$-wave symmetric with nodes, the spatial distributions of the LDOS at the two resonance energies are…
We use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to map the three-dimensional momentum dependence of the superconducting gap in FeSe. We find that on both the hole and electron Fermi surfaces, the magnitude of the gap follows the distribution of $d_{yz}$ orbital weight. Furthermore, we theoretically determine the momentum dependence of the superconducting gap by solving the linearized gap equation using a tight binding model which quantitatively describes both the experimental band dispersions and orbital characters. By considering a Fermi surface only including one electron po…
Critical Role of Hydrogen in Unconventional Superconductors: The Case of Hydrogenated FeSe Layers
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院物理研究所 和 北京凝聚态物理国家研究中心）；School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学 物理科学学院）；Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory（松山湖材料实验室）
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…
We comment two incorrect statements given in Ref.1. (A) - In order to show that the electron-phonon interaction (EPI) is very small and irrelevant for superconductivity in 1UC FeSe/SrTiO3 system, the authors of Ref.1 use an EPI coupling constant which does not enter in any theory of superconductivity. So, their conclusion on the smallness of the EPI in 1UC FeSe/SrTiO3 is incorrect. Accordingly, their coupling constant has also nothing to do with the EPI coupling with the forward scattering peak (EPI-FSP), which is proposed recently in order to explain high Tc in 1UC FeSe/SrTiO3. (B) - In Ref.1…
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。
Heavily electron-doped and single-layer FeSe superconduct at much higher temperatures than bulk FeSe. There have been a number of proposals attempting to explain the origin of the enhanced transition temperature, including the proximity to magnetic, nematic and antiferro-orbital critical points, as well as possible strong interfacial phonon coupling in the case of single-layer FeSe. In this paper, we examine the effect of the various mechanisms in an effective two-band model. Within our model, the fluctuations associated with these instabilities contribute to different parts of the effective m…
