The temperature dependences of the plasma frequency, superfluid density and London penetration depth were determined from terahertz spectra of conductivity and dielectric permittivity of BaFe$_{1.91}$Ni$_{0.09}$As$_{2}$ film with critical temperature $T_c=19.6$~K. Part of experimental data were analyzed within a simple three-band Eliashberg model where the mechanism of superconducting coupling is mediated by antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations, whose characteristic energy $Ω_{0}$ scales with $T_{c}$ according to the empirical law $Ω_{0} = 4.65k_{B}T_{c}$, and with a total electron-boson coupling strength $λ_{tot} = 2.17$.
I solved the Eliashberg equations for multiband non-phononic $s\pm$ wave spin glass superconductor and I calculated the temperature dependence of the gaps and superfluid density that reveals unusual behavior as non monotonic temperature dependence and reentrant superconductivity. For particular values of input parameters the phase diagram is still more complex with two different ranges of temperature where the superconductivity appears.
The phenomenology of iron-pnictides superconductors can be explained in the framework of a three bands s\pm wave Eliashberg theory with only two free parameters plus a feedback effect i.e. the effect of the condensate on the antiferromagnetic spin fluctuactions responsible of the superconductivity in these compounds. I have examined the experimental data of four materials: LaFeAsO1-xFx, SmFeAsO1-xFx, Ba1-xKxFe2As2, and Ba(FexCo1-x)2As2 and I have found that it is possible to reproduce the experimental critical temperature and gap values in a moderate strong-coupling regime: ltot about 1.7-2.0.
The phenomenology of LiFeAs superconductor can be explained in the framework of a four-band s$\pm$-wave Eliashberg theory. We have examined the experimental data available in literature and we have found out that it is possible to reproduce the experimental critical temperature, the gap values and the upper critical magnetic field within an effective model in moderate strong-coupling regime that must include both an intraband term $λ_{11}\sim0.9$ and an interband spin-fluctuations ($λ_{tot}^{sf}\sim1.5$) coupling. The presence of a non negligible intraband coupling can be a fictitious effect o…
We examine the impact of interfacial phonons on the superconducting state of FeSe/SrTiO$_3$ developing a material's specific multiband, full bandwidth, and anisotropic Eliashberg theory for this system. Our self-consistent calculations highlight the importance of the interfacial electron-phonon interaction, which is hidden behind the seemingly weak-coupling constant λ$_m$ = 0.4, in mediating the high T$_c$, and explain other puzzling experimental observations, such as the s-wave symmetry and replica bands. We discover that the formation of replica bands has a T$_c$ decreasing effect that is ne…
We calculated the critical temperature in the framework of s+-+d-wave multiband Eliashberg theory. We have solved these equations numerically to see at what values of the input parameters there is a solution with a non-zero critical temperature and what is the symmetry of the order parameter of this solution. For our model we consider the pnictide case with simplifications that allow us to obtain the most general possible information. For selected and representative cases in which the order parameter has s+-+d symmetry, we calculated the superconducting density of states, the temperature depen…
The nature of superconducting fluctuation effects in the isovalently-substituted iron pnictide BaFe$_2$(As$_{1-x}$P$_x$)$_2$ (x=0.35) is probed through measurements of the magnetization and magnetoconductivity around the superconducting transition. The results, obtained with magnetic fields up to 9 T applied in the two main crystal directions, are consistent with anisotropic Ginzburg-Landau (GL) approaches for finite applied magnetic fields. The analysis allowed to determine with accuracy the out-of-plane, $ξ_c(0)$, and in-plane, $ξ_{ab}(0)$, GL coherence lengths. Significant differences are f…
The pairing mechanism and gap structure in Ba122 pnictides have been hotly discussed for long time as one of the central issues in Fe-based superconductors. Here, we attack this problem by taking account of the vertex corrections (VCs) for the Coulomb interaction $U$ ($U$-VCs), which are totally dropped in conventional Migdal-Eliashberg formalism. The $U$-VC in the charge susceptibility induces strong orbital fluctuations, and the $U$-VC also enlarges the orbital-fluctuation-mediated attractive interaction. By analyzing the effective multiorbital Hubbard model for Ba122 pnictides, we find that…
The temperature and frequency dependences of the optical conductivity of Co and Ni-doped BaFe2As2 are analyzed and the electron-boson spectral density a2F(w) extracted using Eliashberg's formalism. The characteristic energy of a large peak in the spectrum around 10 meV coincide with the resonance peak in the spin excitation spectra, giving compelling evidence that in iron-based superconductors spin fluctuations strongly couple to the charge carriers and mediate superconductivity. In addition the spectrum is found to evolve with temperature towards a less structured background at higher energie…
We present measurements of the specific heat coefficient γ(= C/T) in the low temperature limit as a function of an applied magnetic field for the Fe-based superconductor BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.7}$P$_{0.3}$)$_2$. We find both a linear regime at higher fields and a limiting square root $H$ behavior at very low fields. The crossover from a Volovik-like $\sqrt{H}$ to a linear field dependence can be understood from a multiband calculation in the quasiclassical approximation assuming gaps with different momentum dependence on the hole- and electron-like Fermi surface sheets.
We develop a theory of the quasiparticle interference (QPI) in multiband superconductors based on strong-coupling Eliashberg approach within the Born approximation. In the framework of this theory, we study dependencies of the QPI response function in the multiband superconductors with nodeless s-wave superconductive order parameter. We pay a special attention to the difference of the quasiparticle scattering between the bands having the same and opposite signs of the order parameter. We show that, at the momentum values close to the momentum transfer between two bands, the energy dependence o…
We present superconducting properties of single crystalline Ba(Fe$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ by measuring magnetization, resistivity, upper critical field, Hall coefficient, and magneto-optical images. The magnetization measurements reveal fish-tail hysteresis loop at high temperatures and relatively high critical current density above $J_{c}=10^{5}$ A/cm$^{2}$ at low temperatures. Upper critical field determined by resistive transition is anisotropic with anisotropic parameter $\sim$ 3.5. Hall effect measurements indicate that Ba(Fe$_{0.9}$Co$_{0.1}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ is a multiband system…
In this paper we discuss the normal and superconducting state properties of two pnictide superconductors, LaOFeAs and LaONiAs, using Migdal-Eliashberg theory and density functional perturbation theory. For pure LaOFeAs, the calculated electron-phonon coupling constant $λ=0.21$ and logarithmic-averaged frequency $ω_{ln}=206 K$, give a maximum $T_c$ of 0.8 K, using the standard Migdal-Eliashberg theory. Inclusion of multiband effects increases the Tc only marginally. To reproduce the experimental $T_c$, a 5-6 times larger coupling constant would be needed. Our results indicate that standard elec…
The specific heat of high-purity $\rm Ba_{0.68}K_{0.32}Fe_2As_2$ single crystals with the highest reported superconducting $T_c$ = 38.5 K was studied. The electronic specific heat, $C_p$, below $T_c$ shows two gap features, with $Δ_1 \approx 11$ meV and $Δ_2 \approx 3.5$ meV obtained from an $α$-model analysis. The reduced gap value, $2Δ^{\rm max} / k_B T_c \approx 6.6$, the magnitude of the specific heat jump, $ΔC_p(T_c)/T_c$, and its slope below $T_c$ exhibit strong-coupling character. We also show that an Eliashberg model with two hole and two electron bands gives the correct values of $T_c…
We present theoretical analysis of the normal state resistivity in multiband superconductors in the framework of Eliashberg theory. The results are compared with measurements of the temperature dependence of normal state resistivity of high-purity Ba$_{0.68}$K$_{0.32}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$ single crystals with the highest reported transition temperature $T_c$ = 38.5 K. The experimental data demonstrate strong deviations from the Bloch-Grüneisen behavior, namely the tendency to saturation of the resistivity at high temperatures. The observed behavior of the resistivity is explained within the two ba…
Recently, the discovery of room-temperature superconductivity (SC) was experimentally realized in the fcc phase of LaH$_{10}$ under megabar pressures. This SC of compressed LaH$_{10}$ has been explained in terms of strong electron-phonon coupling (EPC), but the mechanism of how the large EPC constant and high superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ are attained has not yet been clearly identified. Based on the density-functional theory and the Migdal-Eliashberg formalism, we reveal the presence of two nodeless, anisotropic superconducting gaps on the Fermi surface (FS). Here, the sm…
We present a comprehensive study of the low-temperature heat capacity and thermal expansion of single crystals of the hole-doped Ba1-xKxFe2As2 series (0<x<1) and the end-members RbFe2As2 and CsFe2As2. A large increase of the Sommerfeld coefficient is observed with both decreasing band filling and isovalent substitution (K, Rb, Cs) revealing a strong enhancement of electron correlations and the possible proximity of these materials to a Mott insulator. This trend is well reproduced theoretically by our Density-Functional Theory + Slave-Spin (DFT+SS) calculations, confirming that 122-iron pnicti…
We study the temperature evolution of the quasiparticle bands of the FeSe monolayer on the SrTiO$_3$ (STO) substrate from 10 to 300 K by applying the anisotropic, multiband and full-bandwidth Eliashberg theory. To achieve this, we extend this theory by self-consistently coupling the chemical potential to the full set of Eliashberg equations. In this way, the electron filling can accurately be kept at a constant level at any temperature. Solving the coupled equations self-consistently, and with focus on the interfacial electron-phonon coupling, we compute a nearly constant Fermi surface with re…
We investigate the quasiparticle relaxation and low-energy electronic structure in undoped SrFe_2As_2 exhibiting spin-density wave (SDW) ordering using optical pump-probe femtosecond spectroscopy. A remarkable critical slowing down of the quasiparticle relaxation dynamics at the SDW transition temperature T_SDW = 200K is observed. From temperature dependence of the transient reflectivity amplitude we determine the SDW-state charge gap magnitude, 2Delta_SDW/k_BT_SDW=7.2+-1. The second moment of the Eliashberg function, lambda<(hbar omega)^2>=110+-10meV^2, determined from the relaxation time abo…
We report theoretical values for the unscreened plasma frequencies Omega_p of several Fe pnictides obtained from DFT based calculations within the LDA and compare them with experimental plasma frequencies obtained from reflectivity data. The sizable renormalization observed for all considered compounds points to the presence of many-body effects beyond the LDA. From the large empirical background dielectric constant of about 12-15, we estimate a large arsenic polarizability of about 9.5 +- 1.2 Angstroem^3 where the details depend on the polarizabilities of the remaining ions taken from the lit…
