Iron Based Superconductors
We are researching the nature of the superconductivity in the iron pnictides and chalcogenides. We found that the Cooper pairs in FeSe are spin singlets, so that the NMR Knight shift vanishes in the superconducting state. NMR offers a powerful site-selective approach to “see” inside vortices to probe the spin lattice relaxation rate within the normal cores. This work revealed that unlike other unconventional superconductors, there are no antiferromagnetic fluctuations that emerge in these regions.
We have also investigated the Co-doped BaFe2As2 superconductors. Our work uncovered the first direct evidence of nematic fluctuations that are enhanced near the superconducting transition in the normal state. This result is important because it suggests a deep connection between nematicity, antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in these materials.
Relevant Publications
Inhomogeneous Knight shift in vortex cores of superconducting FeSe Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. B, vol. 104, no. 1, pp. 014502, 2021.
NMR study of nematic spin fluctuations in a detwinned single crystal of underdoped Ba(Fe$_1-x$Co$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. B, vol. 94, pp. 165123, 2016.
NMR Evidence for Inhomogeneous Nematic Fluctuations in BaFe$_2$As$_2-x$P$_x$ Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 116, pp. 107202, 2016.
NMR evidence for inhomogeneous glassy behavior driven by nematic fluctuations in iron arsenide superconductors Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. B, vol. 92, no. 16, pp. 165116, 2015, ISSN: 1550-235X.
Identical spin fluctuations in Cu- and Co-doped BaFe$_2$As$_2$ independent of electron doping Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. B, vol. 90, pp. 094519, 2014.
Evidence for filamentary superconductivity nucleated at antiphase domain walls in antiferromagnetic CaFe$_2$As$_2$ Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. B, vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 024530, 2012, ISSN: 1098-0121.
Local magnetic inhomogeneities observed via $^75$As NMR in Ba(Fe$_1-x$Ni$_x$)$_2$As$_2$ with $H_0 perp c$-axis Journal Article
In: J. Phys: Conf. Ser., vol. 344, no. 1, pp. 012022, 2012.
NMR Investigation of Superconductivity and Antiferromagnetism in CaFe$_2$As$_2$ under Pressure Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 102, no. 22, pp. 227601, 2009, ISSN: 0031-9007.
$^75$As NMR studies of superconducting LaFeAsO$_0.9$F$_0.1$ Journal Article
In: Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 101, no. 4, pp. 047003, 2008, ISSN: 0031-9007.