Abstract
We use polarized inelastic neutron scattering to study the temperature and energy dependence of spin space anisotropies in the optimally-hole-doped iron pnictide Ba0.67K0.33Fe2As2 (Tc=38 K). In the superconducting state, while the high-energy part of the magnetic spectrum is nearly isotropic, the low-energy part displays a pronounced anisotropy, manifested by a c-axis polarized resonance. We also observe that the spin anisotropy in superconducting Ba0.67K0.33Fe2As2 extends to higher energies compared with electron-doped BaFe2-xTMxAs2 (TM=Co, Ni) and isovalent-doped BaFe2As1.4P0.6, suggesting a connection between Tc and the energy scale of the spin anisotropy. In the normal state, the low-energy spin anisotropy for hole- and electron-doped iron pnictides near optimal superconductivity onset at temperatures similar to the temperatures at which the elastoresistance deviates from Curie-Weiss behavior, pointing to a possible connection between the two phenomena. Our results highlight the relevance of the spin-orbit coupling to the superconductivity of the iron pnictides.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 214516 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 94 |
| Issue number | 21 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 23 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The neutron work at Rice is supported by the U.S. NSF-DMR-1362219 and DMR-1436006 (P.D.). This work is also supported by the Robert A. Welch Foundation Grant No. C-1839 (P.D.). Work performed by R.M.F. and J.K. is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, under Award No. DE-SC0012336.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 American Physical Society.