Emergent Magnetic Degeneracy in Iron Pnictides due to the Interplay between Spin-Orbit Coupling and Quantum Fluctuations
Recent experiments in iron pnictide superconductors reveal that, as the putative magnetic quantum critical point is approached, different types of magnetic order coexist over a narrow region of the phase diagram. Although these magnetic configurations share the same wave vectors, they break distinct symmetries of the lattice. Importantly, the highest superconducting transition temperature takes place close to this proliferation of near-degenerate magnetic states. In this Letter, we employ a renormalization group calculation to show that such a behavior naturally arises due to the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the quantum magnetic fluctuations. Formally, the enhanced magnetic degeneracy near the quantum critical point is manifested as a stable Gaussian fixed point with a large basin of attraction. Implications of our findings to the superconductivity of the iron pnictides are also discussed.
- Authors:
-
[1]
; [2]
; [3]
; [1]
- Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). School of Physics and Astronomy
- Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Ames Lab. and Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)
- Univ. of Copenhagen (Denmark). The Niels Bohr Inst.
- Publication Date:
- Report Number(s):
- IS-J-9727
Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007; PRLTAO
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012336; AC02-07CH11358
- Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 121; Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
- Publisher:
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Research Org:
- Ames Laboratory (AMES), Ames, IA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1464480
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1462154
Christensen, Morten H., Orth, Peter P., Andersen, Brian M., and Fernandes, Rafael M.. Emergent Magnetic Degeneracy in Iron Pnictides due to the Interplay between Spin-Orbit Coupling and Quantum Fluctuations. United States: N. p.,
Web. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.057001.
Christensen, Morten H., Orth, Peter P., Andersen, Brian M., & Fernandes, Rafael M.. Emergent Magnetic Degeneracy in Iron Pnictides due to the Interplay between Spin-Orbit Coupling and Quantum Fluctuations. United States. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.057001.
Christensen, Morten H., Orth, Peter P., Andersen, Brian M., and Fernandes, Rafael M.. 2018.
"Emergent Magnetic Degeneracy in Iron Pnictides due to the Interplay between Spin-Orbit Coupling and Quantum Fluctuations". United States.
doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.057001.
@article{osti_1464480,
title = {Emergent Magnetic Degeneracy in Iron Pnictides due to the Interplay between Spin-Orbit Coupling and Quantum Fluctuations},
author = {Christensen, Morten H. and Orth, Peter P. and Andersen, Brian M. and Fernandes, Rafael M.},
abstractNote = {Recent experiments in iron pnictide superconductors reveal that, as the putative magnetic quantum critical point is approached, different types of magnetic order coexist over a narrow region of the phase diagram. Although these magnetic configurations share the same wave vectors, they break distinct symmetries of the lattice. Importantly, the highest superconducting transition temperature takes place close to this proliferation of near-degenerate magnetic states. In this Letter, we employ a renormalization group calculation to show that such a behavior naturally arises due to the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the quantum magnetic fluctuations. Formally, the enhanced magnetic degeneracy near the quantum critical point is manifested as a stable Gaussian fixed point with a large basin of attraction. Implications of our findings to the superconductivity of the iron pnictides are also discussed.},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.057001},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 5,
volume = 121,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {7}
}