Atomic-scale coexistence of short-range magnetic order and superconductivity in Fe1+ySe0.1Te0.9
Abstract
The ground state of the parent compounds of many high-temperature superconductors is an antiferromagnetically ordered phase, where superconductivity emerges when the antiferromagnetic phase transition is suppressed by doping or application of pressure. This behavior implies a close relation between the two orders. Examining the interplay between them promises a better understanding of how the superconducting condensate forms from the antiferromagnetically ordered background. Here we explore this relation in real space at the atomic scale using low-temperature spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. We investigate the transition from antiferromagnetically ordered Fe1+yTe via the spin-glass phase in Fe1+ySe0.1Te0.9 to superconducting Fe1+ySe0.15Te0.85. In Fe1+ySe0.1Te0.9 we observe an atomic-scale coexistence of superconductivity and short-ranged bicollinear antiferromagnetic order. However, a direct correlation between the two orders is not observed, supporting the scenario of s± superconducting symmetry in this material. Our work demonstrates a direct probe of the relation between the two orders, which is indispensable for our understanding of high-temperature superconductivity.
Citation
Aluru , R K P , Zhou , H , Essig , A , Reid , J-P , Tsurkan , V , Loidl , A , Deisenhofer , J & Wahl , G P 2019 , ' Atomic-scale coexistence of short-range magnetic order and superconductivity in Fe 1+y Se 0.1 Te 0.9 ' , Physical Review Materials , vol. 3 , no. 8 , 084805 . https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.3.084805
Publication
Physical Review Materials
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2475-9953Type
Journal article
Description
Funding: UK EPSRC (EP/I031014/1) (HZ, J-PR, and PW)Collections
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