Probing nematicity and magnetism with combined tunable strain and x-ray scattering/fluorescence techniques

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

In this talk I will review our recent progress at the Advanced Photon Source in combining in situ tunable uniaxial stress with simultaneous transport measurements and several synchrotron x-ray techniques to perform unique characterizations of several iron-based superconductors. In Co-doped BaFe2As2 we use x-ray diffraction (XRD) to carefully monitor the strain detwinning of the orthorhombic structural domains and make a precise determination of the spontaneous resistivity anisotropy across temperature within the nematic phase. In EuFe2As2 we use x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) to make the first observation of a magnetic field-induced spin flip transition of antiferromagnetic Eu moments in a strain-detwinned sample. In Co-doped EuFe2As2 we use XMCD to monitor the magnetic field-induced reorientation of ferromagnetic Eu moments from out of plane to in-plane, which we correlate with a strain-tunable field-induced superconductivity. Finally, in FeSe we combine XRD and x-ray linear dichroism (XLD) to observe the nematic orbital polarization anisotropy within the nematic phase across a range of strain and detwinning values. This unique combination of tuning and probing techniques has so far given new insight into these interesting materials and presents a new approach to answering unresolved questions in iron-based superconductors and beyond.

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Publication: J.J. Sanchez et al. "The transport–structural correspondence across the nematic phase transition probed by elasto X-ray diffraction". Nature Materials 20, 1519-1524 (2021)
J.J. Sanchez et al. "Strongly anisotropic antiferromagnetic coupling in EuFe2As2 revealed by stress detwinning". Physical Review B 104, 10 (2021)
J.J. Sanchez et al. "Strain-switchable field-induced superconductivity". In preparation (2022)
J.J. Sanchez and C. Occhialini et al. "Spontaneous orbital anisotropy in the nematic phase of FeSe probed by elasto X-ray linear dichroism". In preparation (2022)

Presenters

  • Joshua J Sanchez

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, University of Washington / MIT

Authors

  • Joshua J Sanchez

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Washington, University of Washington / MIT

  • Connor A Occhialini

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MI

  • Philip J Ryan

    Argonne National Laboratory

  • Jong Woo Kim

    Argonne National Laboratory, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Gilberto F Fabbris

    Argonne National Laboratory

  • Yongseong Choi

    Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne National Lab

  • Jian Liu

    University of Tennessee

  • Shashi K Pandey

    University of Tennessee

  • Paul T Malinowski

    University of Washington

  • Yue Shi

    University of Washington

  • Jiun-Haw Chu

    University of Washington

  • Igor Mazin

    George Mason University, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Quantum Science and Engineering Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA, Quantum Science and Engineering Center, Department of Physics and Astronomy - George Mason University

  • Riccardo Comin

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology MI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT