Are there nodes in LaFePO, BaFe$_2$(AsP)$_2$, and KFe$_2$As$_2$ ?

Abstract

We reexamined the experimental evidences for the possible existence of the superconducting (SC) gap nodes in the three most suspected Fe-pnictide SC compounds: LaFePO, BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$, and KFe$_2$As$_2$. We showed that while the $T$-linear temperature dependence of the penetration depth $λ(T)$ of these three compounds indicate extremely clean nodal gap superconductors, the thermal conductivity data $\lim_{T,H \rightarrow 0} κ_S (H,T)/T$ unambiguously showed that LaFePO and BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$ are extremely dirty, while KFe$_2$As$_2$ can be clean. This apparently conflicting experimental data casts a serious doubt on the nodal gap possibility on LaFePO and BaFe$_2$(As$_{0.67}$P$_{0.33}$)$_2$.