Electronic phase separation in the slightly underdoped iron pnictide superconductor Ba1-xKxFe2As2.
Phys Rev Lett
; 102(11): 117006, 2009 Mar 20.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19392233
ABSTRACT
Here we present a combined study of the slightly underdoped novel pnictide superconductor Ba1-xKxFe2As2 by means of x-ray powder diffraction, neutron scattering, muon-spin rotation (microSR), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Static antiferromagnetic order sets in below T{m} approximately 70 K as inferred from the neutron scattering and zero-field-microSR data. Transverse-field microSR below Tc shows a coexistence of magnetically ordered and nonmagnetic states, which is also confirmed by MFM imaging. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation into antiferromagnetic and superconducting- or normal-state regions on a lateral scale of several tens of nanometers. Our findings indicate that such mesoscopic phase separation can be considered an intrinsic property of some iron pnictide superconductors.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Phys Rev Lett
Year:
2009
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Germany