High-Tc iron phosphide superconductivity enhanced by reemergent antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in [Sr4Sc2O6]Fe2(As1−xPx)2 probed by NMR

Abstract

We report a systematic NMR study on [Sr4Sc2O6]Fe2(As1−xPx)2, for which the local lattice parameters of the iron-pnictogen (FePn) layer are similar to those of the series LaFe(As1−x′Px′)O, which exhibits two segregated antiferromagnetic (AFM) order phases, AFM1 at x′=0−0.2 and AFM2 at x′=0.4−0.7. Our results reveal that the parent AFM1 phase at x=0 disappears at x=0.3−0.4, corresponding to a pnictogen height (hpn) from the Fe plane of 1.3–1.32 Å, which is similar to that of LaFe(As1−x′Px′)O and various parent Fe pnictides. By contrast, the AFM2 order reported for LaFe(As0.4P0.6)O does not appear at x∼0.8, although the local lattice parameters of the FePn layer and the microscopic electronic states are quite similar. Despite the absence of the static AFM2 order, reemergent dynamical AFM spin fluctuations were observed at approximately x∼0.8, which can be attributed to the instability of the AFM2 phase. We suggest this re-enhancement of AFM spin fluctuations plays a significant role in enhancing the Tc to 17 K for x=0.8−1. Finally, we discuss the universality and diversity of the complicated magnetic ground states from a microscopic point of view, including the difference in the origins of the AFM1 and AFM2 phases, and their relations with the high superconducting transitions in Fe pnictides.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Similar papers