arXiv subjects

T. Wolf

Publications and source records attributed to T. Wolf.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Direct characterization of photo-induced lattice dynamics in BaFe2As2

Ultrafast light pulses can modify the electronic properties of quantum materials by perturbing the underlying, intertwined degrees of freedom. In particular, iron-based superconductors exhibit a strong coupling among electronic nematic fluctuations, spins, and the lattice, serving as a playground for ultrafast manipulation. Here we use time-resolved x-ray scattering to measure the lattice dynamics of photo-excited BaFe2As2. Upon optical excitation, no signature of an ultrafast change of the crystal symmetry is observed, but the lattice oscillates rapidly in time due to the coherent excitation of an A1g mode that modulates the Fe-As-Fe bond angle. We directly quantify the coherent lattice dynamics and show that even a small photo-induced lattice distortion can induce notable changes in the electronic and magnetic properties. Our analysis implies that transient structural modification can generally be an effective tool for manipulating the electronic properties of multi-orbital systems, where electronic instabilities are sensitive to the orbital character of bands near the Fermi level.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Competing superconducting and magnetic order parameters and field-induced magnetism in electron doped Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$

We have studied the magnetic and superconducting properties of Ba(Fe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ as a function of temperature and external magnetic field using neutron scattering and muon spin rotation. Below the superconducting transition temperature the magnetic and superconducting order parameters coexist and compete. A magnetic field can significantly enhance the magnetic scattering in the superconducting state, roughly doubling the Bragg intensity at 13.5 T. We perform a microscopic modelling of the data by use of a five-band Hamiltonian relevant to iron pnictides. In the superconducting state, vortices can slow down and freeze spin fluctuations locally. When such regions couple they result in a long-range ordered antiferromagnetic phase producing the enhanced magnetic elastic scattering in agreement with experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Field-induced superconducting phase of FeSe in the BCS-BEC cross-over

Fermi systems in the crossover regime between weakly coupled Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) and strongly coupled Bose-Einstein-condensate (BEC) limits are among the most fascinating objects to study the behavior of an assembly of strongly interacting particles. The physics of this crossover has been of considerable interest both in the fields of condensed matter and ultracold atoms. One of the most challenging issue in this regime is the effect of large spin imbalance on a Fermi system under magnetic fields. Although several exotic physical properties have been predicted theoretically, the experimental realization of such an unusual superconducting state has not been achieved so far. Here we show that pure single crystals of superconducting FeSe offer the possibility to enter the previously unexplored realm where the three energies, Fermi energy $\varepsilon_{\rm F}$, superconducting gap $Δ$ and Zeeman energy, become comparable. Through the superfluid response, transport, thermoelectric response, and spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we demonstrate that $\varepsilon_{\rm F}$ of FeSe is extremely small, with the ratio $Δ/\varepsilon_{\rm F}\sim1 (\sim0.3)$ in the electron (hole) band. Moreover, thermal-conductivity measurements give evidence of a distinct phase line below the upper critical field, where the Zeeman energy becomes comparable to $\varepsilon_{\rm F}$ and $Δ$. The observation of this field-induced phase provides insights into previously poorly understood aspects of the highly spin-polarized Fermi liquid in the BCS-BEC crossover regime.

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arXiv2014

Ultrafast structural dynamics of the Fe-pnictide parent compound BaFe2As2

Using femtosecond time-resolved x-ray diffraction we investigate the structural dynamics of the coherently excited A1g phonon mode in the Fe-pnictide parent compound BaFe2As2. The fluence dependent intensity oscillations of two specific Bragg reflections with distinctly different sensitivity to the pnictogen height in the compound allow us to quantify the coherent modifications of the Fe-As tetrahedra, indicating a transient increase of the Fe magnetic moments. By a comparison with time-resolved photoemission data we derive the electron-phonon deformation potential for this particular mode. The value of Delta mu/Delta z = -(1.0 - 1.5) eV/A is comparable with theoretical predictions and demonstrates the importance of this degree of freedom for the electron-phonon coupling in the Fe pnictides.

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arXiv2014

Origin of the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic (nematic) phase transition in FeSe: a combined thermodynamic and NMR study

The nature of the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition at $T_s\approx90$ K in single crystalline FeSe is studied using shear-modulus, heat-capacity, magnetization and NMR measurements. The transition is shown to be accompanied by a large shear-modulus softening, which is practically identical to that of underdoped Ba(Fe,Co)$_2$As$_2$, suggesting very similar strength of the electron-lattice coupling. On the other hand, a spin-fluctuation contribution to the spin-lattice relaxation rate is only observed below $T_s$. This indicates that the structural, or "nematic", phase transition in FeSe is not driven by magnetic fluctuations.

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arXiv2014

Lifting of xz/yz orbital degeneracy at the structural transition in detwinned FeSe

We study superconducting FeSe (Tc = 9 K) exhibiting the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural transition (Ts = 90 K) without any antiferromagnetic ordering, by utilizing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. In the detwinned orthorhombic state, the energy position of the dyz orbital band at the Brillouin zone corner is 50 meV higher than that of dxz, indicating the orbital order similar to NaFeAs and BaFe2As2 families. Evidence of orbital order also appears in the hole bands at the Brillouin zone center. Precisely measured temperature dependence using strain-free samples shows that the onset of the orbital ordering (To) occurs very close to Ts, thus suggesting that the electronic nematicity above Ts is considerably weaker in FeSe compared to BaFe2As2 family.

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arXiv2014

Preparation of hybrid Josephson junctions on Co-doped Ba-122 single crystals

In this paper we present a method for processing a hybrid Josephson junction on Co-doped BaFe2As2(Ba-122) single crystals with a thin film Pb-counter electrode and a barrier layer of TiOx. This includes the leveling and polishing of the crystals and structuring them with thin film techniques such as photo lithography, sputtering and ion beam etching (IBE). The junctions show hysteretical resistively and capacitively shunted junction (RCSJ)-like I-V characteristics with an IcRn-product of about 800uV.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2014

Superconducting properties of (Ba-K)Fe2As2 single crystals disordered with fast neutron irradiation

Resistivity Rho(T), Hall coefficient RH(T), superconducting transition temperature Tc and slopes of the upper critical field dHc2/dT were studied in (Ba1-xKx)Fe2As2 (x = 0.218, 0.356, 0.531) single crystals irradiated with fast neutrons. It is found that dTc/dRhoSC - the rate of decreasing Tc as a function of the RhoSC (RHoSC is the resistivity at T = Tc) - linearly increases with concentration x. Slow changes in the Hall coefficient RH, as well as the quadratic electronic contribution to the resistivity, show that there are no substantial changes in the topology of the Fermi surface caused by irradiation. The slopes of the upper critical field dHc2/dT in ab- and c-directions as a function of RHoSC determined by Hall measurements show a reasonable agreement with a model that suggests constancy of the band parameters.

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arXiv2014

Spin-density-wave-induced anomalies in the optical conductivity of AFe2As2, (A=Ca, Sr, Ba) single-crystalline iron pnictides

We report the complex dielectric function of high-quality $A\textrm{Fe}_2\textrm{As}_2$, ($A$=Ca, Sr, Ba) single crystals with $T_{\mathrm{N}}\approx150\ \textrm{K}$, $200\ \textrm{K}$, and $138\ \textrm{K}$, respectively, determined by broadband spectroscopic ellipsometry at temperatures $10\leq T\leq300\ \textrm{K}$ and wavenumbers from $100\ \textrm{cm}^{-1}$ to $52000\ \textrm{cm}^{-1}$. In $\textrm{CaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ we identify the optical spin-density--wave gap $2Δ_{\mathrm{SDW}}\approx1250\ \textrm{cm}^{-1}$. The $2Δ_{\mathrm{SDW}}/(k_{\mathrm{B}}T_{\mathrm{N}})$ ratio, characterizing the strength of the electron-electron coupling in the spin-density--wave state, amounts to $\approx12$ in $\textrm{CaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$, significantly larger than the corresponding values for the $\textrm{SrFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ and $\textrm{BaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ compounds: 8.7 and 5.3, respectively. We further show that, similarly to the Ba-based compound, two characteristic SDW energy gaps can be identified in the infrared-conductivity spectra of both $\textrm{SrFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ and $\textrm{CaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ and investigate their detailed temperature dependence in all three materials. This analysis reveals the existence of an anomaly in $\textrm{CaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ at a temperature $T^*\approx80\ \textrm{K}$, well below the Néel temperature of this compound, which implies weak coupling between the two SDW subsystems. The coupling between the two subsystems evolves to intermediate in the Sr-based and strong in the Ba-based material. The temperature dependence of the infrared phonons reveals clear anomalies at the corresponding Néel temperatures of the investigated compounds. In $\textrm{CaFe}_2\textrm{As}_2$, the phonons exhibit signatures of SDW fluctuations above $T_N$ and some evidence for anomalies at $T^*$. (full abstract in PDF)

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arXiv2014

Nematic susceptibility of hole- and electron-doped BaFe2As2 iron-based superconductors from shear modulus measurements

The nematic susceptibility of hole-doped Ba1-xKxFe2As2 and electron-doped Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 iron-based superconductors is obtained from measurements of the elastic shear modulus using a three-point bending setup in a capacitance dilatometer. Nematic fluctuations, although weakened by doping, extend over the whole superconducting dome in both systems, suggesting their close tie to superconductivity. Evidence for quantum critical behavior of the nematic susceptibility is, surprisingly, only found for Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2, the system with the lower maximal Tc value.

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arXiv2014

Fermi Surface of KFe$_2$As$_2$ from Quantum Oscillations in Magnetostriction

We present a study of the Fermi surface of KFe$_2$As$_2$ single crystals. Quantum oscillations were observed in magnetostriction measured down to 50 mK and in magnetic fields $H$ up to 14 T. For $H \parallel c$, the calculated effective masses are in agreement with recent de Haas-van Alphen and ARPES experiments, showing enhanced values with respect to the ones obtained from previous band calculations. For $H \parallel a$, we observed a small orbit at a cyclotron frequency of 64 T, characterized by an effective mass of $\sim 0.8 m_e$, supporting the presence of a three-dimensional pocket at the Z-point.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Ultrafast modulation of the chemical potential in BaFe$_2$As$_2$ by coherent phonons

Time- and angle-resolved extreme ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the electronic structure dynamics in BaFe$_2$As$_2$ around the high-symmetry points $Γ$ and $M$. A global oscillation of the Fermi level at the frequency of the $A_{1g}$(As) phonon mode is observed. It is argued that this behavior reflects a modulation of the effective chemical potential in the photoexcited surface region that arises from the high sensitivity of the band structure near the Fermi level to the $A_{1g}$ phonon mode combined with a low electron diffusivity perpendicular to the layers. The results establish a novel way to tune the electronic properties of iron pnictides: coherent control of the effective chemical potential. The results further suggest that the equilibration time for the effective chemical potential needs to be considered in the ultrafast electronic structure dynamics of materials with weak interlayer coupling.

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arXiv2013

Dielectric versus magnetic pairing mechanisms in high-temperature cuprate superconductors investigated using Raman scattering

We suggest, and demonstrate, a systematic approach to the study of cuprate superconductors, namely, progressive change of ion size in order to systematically alter the interaction strength and other key parameters. R(Ba,Sr)$_2$Cu$_3$O$_y$ (R={La, ... Lu,Y}) is such a system where potentially obscuring structural changes are minimal. We thereby systematically alter both dielectric and magnetic properties. Dielectric fluctuation is characterized by ionic polarizability while magnetic fluctuation is characterized by exchange interactions measurable by Raman scattering. The range of transition temperatures is 70 to 107 K and we find that these correlate only with the dielectric properties, a behavior which persists with external pressure. The ultimate significance may remain to be proven but it highlights the role of dielectric screening in the cuprates and adds support to a previously proposed novel pairing mechanism involving exchange of quantized waves of electronic polarization.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Magnetization distribution and orbital moment in the non-Superconducting Chalcogenide Compound K0.8Fe1.6Se2

We have used polarized and unpolarized neutron diffraction to determine the spatial distribution of the magnetization density induced by a magnetic field of 9 T in the tetragonal phase of K0.8Fe1.6Se2. The maximum entropy reconstruction shows clearly that most of the magnetization is confined to the region around the iron atoms whereas there is no significant magnetization associated with either Se or K atoms. The distribution of magnetization around the Fe atom is slightly nonspherical with a shape which is extended along the [0 0 1] direction in the projection. Multipolar refinement results show that the electrons which give rise to the paramagnetic susceptibility are confined to the Fe atoms and their distribution suggests that they occupy 3d t2g-type orbitals with around 66% in those of xz/yz symmetry. Detail modeling of the magnetic form factor indicates the presence of an orbital moment to the total paramagnetic moment of Fe2+

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arXiv2013

Low-energy interband transitions in the infrared response of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2

We studied the doping and temperature (T) dependence of the infrared (IR) response of Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals. We show that a weak band around 1000 cm-1, that was previously interpreted in terms of interaction of the charge carriers with magnetic excitations or of a pseudogap, is rather related to low-energy interband transitions. Specifically, we show that this band exhibits a similar doping and T-dependence as the hole pockets seen by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Notably, we find that it vanishes as a function of doping near the critical point where superconductivity is suppressed in the overdoped regime. Our IR data thus provide bulk specific information (complementary to the surface sensitive ARPES) for a Lifshitz transition. Our IR data also reveal a second low-energy band around 2300 cm-1 which further emphasizes the necessity to consider the multiband nature of these iron arsenides in the analysis of the optical response.

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arXiv2013

Pauli-Limited Multiband Superconductivity in KFe2As2

The upper critical field Hc2(T) of the multiband superconductor KFe2As2 has been studied via low-temperature thermal expansion and magnetostriction measurements. We present compelling evidence for Pauli-limiting effects dominating Hc2(T) for H || a, as revealed by a crossover from second- to first-order phase transitions to the superconducting state in the magnetostriction measurements down to 50 mK. Corresponding features were absent for H || c. To our knowledge, this crossover constitutes the first confirmation of Pauli limiting of the Hc2(T) of a multiband superconductor. The results are supported by modeling Pauli limits for single-band and multiband cases.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Strong Pauli-limiting behavior of $H_{c2}$ and uniaxial pressure dependencies in KFe2As2

KFe2As2 single crystals are studied using specific-heat, high-resolution thermal-expansion, magnetization, and magnetostriction measurements. The magnetization and magnetostriction data provide clear evidence for strong Pauli limiting effects for magnetic fields parallel to the FeAs planes, suggesting that KFe2As2 may be a good candidate to search for the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state. Using standard thermodynamic relations, the uniaxial pressure derivatives of the critical temperature ($T_{c}$), the normal-state Sommerfeld coefficient ($γ_{n}$), the normal-state susceptibility ($χ$), and the thermodynamic critical field ($H_{c}$) are calculated from our data. We find that the close relationship between doping and pressure as found in other Fe-based systems does not hold for KFe2As2.

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arXiv2013

Electronic structure and quantum criticality in Ba(Fe$_{1-x-y}$Co$_{x}$Mn$_{y}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, an ARPES study

We used angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and density functional theory calculations to study the electronic structure of Ba(Fe1-x-yCoxMny)2As2 for x=0.06 and 0<=y <=0.07. From ARPES we derive that the substitution of Fe by Mn does not lead to hole doping, indicating a localization of the induced holes. An evaluation of the measured spectral function does not indicate a diverging effective mass or scattering rate near optimal doping. Thus the present ARPES results indicate a continuous evolution of the quasiparticle interaction and therefore question previous quantum critical scenarios.

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