Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study of a Nonmagnetic Collapsed Tetragonal Phase in Nonsuperconducting CaFe2As2: Evidence of the Impact of Spin Fluctuations on Superconductivity in the Iron-Arsenide Compounds

Journal Article · Wed Nov 27 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.227002· OSTI ID:1134279

Soh, Jing-Han ^[1]; Tucker, Ggregory S. ^[1]; Pratt, Daniel K. ^[1]; Abernathy, D. L. ^[2]; Stone, M. B. ^[2]; Ran, Sheng ^[1]; Budko, Sergey L. ^[1]; Canfield, Paul C. ^[1]; Kreyssig, Andreas ^[1]; McQueeney, Robert J. ^[1]; Goldman, Alan I. ^[1]

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1. Ames Laboratory
2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The relationship between antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations and superconductivity has become a central topic of research in studies of superconductivity in the iron pnictides. We present unambiguous evidence of the absence of magnetic fluctuations in the nonsuperconducting collapsed tetragonal phase of CaFe2As2 via inelastic neutron scattering time-of-flight data, which is consistent with the view that spin fluctuations are a necessary ingredient for unconventional superconductivity in the iron pnictides. We demonstrate that the collapsed tetragonal phase of CaFe2As2 is nonmagnetic, and discuss this result in light of recent reports of high-temperature superconductivity in the collapsed tetragonal phase of closely related compounds.

• Research Organization: Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC02-07CH11358
• OSTI ID: 1134279
• Report Number(s): IS-J 8222
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 111; ISSN 0031-9007
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE