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Title: Optical Properties of the Iron-arsenic Superconductor BaFe1.85Co0.15As2

Journal Article · · Physical Review. B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

The transport and complex optical properties of the electron-doped iron-arsenic superconductor BaFe{sub 1.85}Co{sub 0.15}As{sub 2} with T{sub c} = 25 K have been examined in the Fe-As planes above and below T{sub c}. A Bloch-Grueneisen analysis of the resistivity yields a weak electron-phonon coupling constant {lambda}{sub ph} {approx_equal} 0.2. The low-frequency optical response in the normal state appears to be dominated by the electron pocket and may be described by a weakly interacting Fermi liquid with a Drude plasma frequency of {omega}{sub p,D} {approx_equal} 7840 cm{sup -1} ({approx_equal}0.972eV) and scattering rate 1/{tau}{sub D} {approx_equal} 126 cm{sup -1} ({approx_equal}15 meV) just above T{sub c}. The frequency-dependent scattering rate 1/{tau}({Omega}) has kinks at {approx_equal}12 and 55 meV that appear to be related to bosonic excitations. Below T{sub c} the majority of the superconducting plasma frequency originates from the electron pocket and is estimated to be {omega}{sub p,S} {approx_equal} 5200 cm{sup -1} ({lambda}{sub 0} {approx_equal} 3000 {angstrom}) for T << T{sub c}, indicating that less than half the free carriers in the normal state have collapsed into the condensate, suggesting that this material is not in the clean limit. Supporting this finding is the observation that this material falls close to the universal scaling line for a Bardeen, Cooper, and Schrieffer dirty-limit superconductor in the weak-coupling limit. There are two energy scales for the superconductivity in the optical conductivity and photoinduced reflectivity at {Delta}{sub 1}(0){approx_equal}3.1 {+-} 0.2 meV and {Delta}{sub 2}(0){approx_equal}7.4 {+-} 0.3 meV. This corresponds to either the gapping of the electron and hole pockets, respectively, or an anisotropic s-wave gap on the electron pocket; both views are consistent with the s{sup {+-}} model.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE - OFFICE OF SCIENCE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-98CH10886
OSTI ID:
1020849
Report Number(s):
BNL-93941-2010-JA; R&D Project: PO-016; KC0202020; TRN: US1103852
Journal Information:
Physical Review. B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 82, Issue 17; ISSN 1098-0121
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English