Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped CaFe2As2 close to a first-order phase transition

Fente, Antón; Correa-Orellana, Alexandre; Böhmer, Anna E.; Kreyssig, Andreas; Ran, S.; Bud'ko, Sergey L.; Canfield, Paul C.; Mompean, Federico J.; García-Hernández, Mar; Munuera, Carmen; Guillamón, Isabel; Suderow, Hermann

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.97.014505

Title: Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped ${CaFe}_{2} {As}_{2}$ close to a first-order phase transition

Journal Article · 08 January 2018 · Physical Review B

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.014505 · OSTI ID:1417992

Fente, Antón ^[1]; Correa-Orellana, Alexandre ^[2]; Böhmer, Anna E. ^[3]; Kreyssig, Andreas ^[3]; Ran, S. ^[3]; Bud'ko, Sergey L. ^[3]; Canfield, Paul C. ^[3]; Mompean, Federico J. ^[2]; García-Hernández, Mar ^[2]; Munuera, Carmen ^[2]; Guillamón, Isabel ^[4]; Suderow, Hermann ^[4]

Autonomous Univ. of Madrid (Spain)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Madrid (Spain). Inst. de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Cantoblanco
Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States)
Autonomous Univ. of Madrid (Spain); Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), Madrid (Spain)

We show that biaxial strain induces alternating tetragonal superconducting and orthorhombic nematic domains in Co substituted CaFe₂As₂. We use Atomic Force, Magnetic Force and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (AFM, MFM and STM) to identify the domains and characterize their properties, nding in particular that tetragonal superconducting domains are very elongated, more than several tens of μm long and about 30 nm wide, have the same Tc than unstrained samples and hold vortices in a magnetic eld. Thus, biaxial strain produces a phase separated state, where each phase is equivalent to what is found at either side of the rst order phase transition between antiferromagnetic orthorhombic and superconducting tetragonal phases found in unstrained samples when changing Co concentration. Having such alternating superconducting domains separated by normal conducting domains with sizes of order of the coherence length opens opportunities to build Josephson junction networks or vortex pinning arrays and suggests that first order quantum phase transitions lead to nanometric size phase separation under the influence of strain.

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Research Organization:: Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-07CH11358

OSTI ID:: 1417992

Report Number(s):: IS-J--9559

Journal Information:: Physical Review B, Journal Name: Physical Review B Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 97; ISSN 2469-9950; ISSN PRBMDO

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Discovery of a strain-stabilised smectic electronic order in LiFeAs Yim, Chi Ming; Trainer, Christopher; Aluru, Ramakrishna Nature Communications, Vol. 9, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04909-y	journal	July 2018
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Title: Direct visualization of phase separation between superconducting and nematic domains in Co-doped ${CaFe}_{2} {As}_{2}$ close to a first-order phase transition