A weak-coupling superconductivity in the electron doped NaFe0.95_{0.95}Co0.05_{0.05}As is revealed by ARPES

We report a systematic study on the electronic structure and superconducting (SC) gaps in electron doped NaFe$_{0.95}$Co$_{0.05}$As superconductor using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Hole-like Fermi sheets are at the zone center and electron-like Fermi sheets are at the zone corner, and are mainly contributed by $xz$ and $yz$ orbital characters. Our results reveal a $\frac{\Delta}{K_B T_c}$ in the range of 1.8-2.1, suggesting a weak-coupling superconductivity in these compounds. Gap closing above the transition temperature ($T_c$) shows the absence of pseudogaps. Gap evolution with temperature follow the BCS gap equation near the $\Gamma$, $Z$, and $M$ high symmetry points. Furthermore, an almost isotropic superconductivity along $k_z$ direction in the momentum space is observed by varying the excitation energies.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Accepted by Phy.Rev.

Time of life as it is in LiFeAs

The time of life of fermionic quasiparticles, the distribution of which in the momentum-energy space can be measured by angle resolved photoemission (ARPES), is the first quantity to look for fingerprints of interaction responsible for the superconducting pairing. Such an approach has been recently used for superconducting cuprates, but its direct application to pnictides was not possible due to essential three-dimensionality of the electronic band structure and magnetic ordering. Here, we report the investigation of the quasiparticle lifetime in LiFeAs, a non-magnetic stoichiometric superconductor with a well separated two-dimensional band. We have found two energy scales: the lower one contains clear fingerprints of optical phonon modes while the higher scale indicates a presence of strong electron-electron interaction. The result suggests that LiFeAs is a phonon mediated superconductor with strongly enhanced electronic density of states at the Fermi level.Comment: reevaluated electron-phonon coupling strength, added reference

Gap symmetry and structure of Fe-based superconductors

The recently discovered Fe-pnictide and chalcogenide superconductors display low-temperature properties suggesting superconducting gap structures which appear to vary substantially from family to family, and even within families as a function of doping or pressure. We propose that this apparent nonuniversality can actually be understood by considering the predictions of spin fluctuation theory and accounting for the peculiar electronic structure of these systems, coupled with the likely 'sign-changing s-wave' (s\pm) symmetry. We review theoretical aspects, materials properties and experimental evidence relevant to this suggestion, and discuss which further measurements would be useful to settle these issues.Comment: 86 pages, revie

High-energy electronic interaction in the 3 d band of high-temperature iron-based superconductors

One of the most unique and robust experimental facts about iron-based superconductors is the renormalization of the electronic band dispersion by factor of 3 and more near the Fermi level. Obviously related to the electron pairing, this prominent deviation from the band theory lacks understanding. Experimentally studying the entire spectrum of the valence electrons in iron arsenides, we have found an unexpected depletion of the spectral weight in the middle of the iron-derived band, which is accompanied by a drastic increase of the scattering rate. At the same time, the measured arsenic-derived band exhibits very good agreement with theoretical calculations. We show that the low-energy Fermi velocity renormalization should be viewed as a part of the modification of the spectral function by a strong electronic interaction. Such an interaction with an energy scale of the whole d band appears to be a hallmark of many families of unconventional superconductors