Electronic Phase Separation in the Slightly Underdoped Iron Pnictide Superconductor Ba{sub 1-x}K{sub x}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2}
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Festkoerperforschung, Heisenbergstrasse 1, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETHZ and PSI, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)
- Department of Physics and Fribourg Center for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musee 3, CH-1700 Fribourg (Switzerland)
- IFW Dresden, Institute for Metallic Materials, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany)
Here we present a combined study of the slightly underdoped novel pnictide superconductor Ba{sub 1-x}K{sub x}Fe{sub 2}As{sub 2} by means of x-ray powder diffraction, neutron scattering, muon-spin rotation ({mu}SR), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Static antiferromagnetic order sets in below T{sub m}{approx_equal}70 K as inferred from the neutron scattering and zero-field-{mu}SR data. Transverse-field {mu}SR below T{sub c} shows a coexistence of magnetically ordered and nonmagnetic states, which is also confirmed by MFM imaging. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation into antiferromagnetic and superconducting- or normal-state regions on a lateral scale of several tens of nanometers. Our findings indicate that such mesoscopic phase separation can be considered an intrinsic property of some iron pnictide superconductors.
- OSTI ID:
- 21180308
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 102, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.117006; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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