Electronic structure of the iron-based superconductor LaOFeP

Journal Article · Mon Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Submitted to Nature

OSTI ID:972245

Lu, D H; Yi, M; Mo1, S -K; Erickson, A S; Analytis, J; Chu, J -H; Singh, D J; Hussain, Z; Geballe, T H; Fisher, I R; Shen, Z -X

The recent discovery of superconductivity in the so-called iron-oxypnictide family of compounds has generated intense interest. The layered crystal structure with transition metal ions in planar square lattice form and the discovery of spin-density-wave order near 130K seem to hint at a strong similarity with the copper oxide superconductors. A burning current issue is the nature of the ground state of the parent compounds. Two distinct classes of theories have been put forward depending on the underlying band structures: local moment antiferromagnetic ground state for strong coupling approach and itinerant ground state for weak coupling approach. The local moment magnetism approach stresses on-site correlations and proximity to a Mott insulating state and thus the resemblance to cuprates; while the latter approach emphasizes the itinerant electron physics and the interplay between the competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic fluctuations. Such a controversy is partly due to the lack of conclusive experimental information on the electronic structures. Here we report the first angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) investigation of LaOFeP (T{sub c} = 5.9 K), the first reported iron-based superconductor. Our results favor the itinerant ground state, albeit with band renormalization. In addition, our data reveal important differences between these and copper based superconductors.

• Research Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 972245
• Report Number(s): SLAC-PUB-13889
• Journal Information: Submitted to Nature, Journal Name: Submitted to Nature
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
COPPER
COPPER OXIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CUPRATES
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ELECTRONS
FLUCTUATIONS
GROUND STATES
MAGNETISM
Other
MATSCI
PHOTOEMISSION
PHYSICS
RENORMALIZATION
SPECTROSCOPY
STRESSES
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
SUPERCONDUCTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS