Theoretical approach to resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in iron-based superconductors at the energy scale of the superconducting gap

We develop a phenomenological theory to predict the characteristic features of the momentum-dependent scattering amplitude in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the energy scale of the superconducting gap in iron-based superconductors. Taking into account all relevant orbital states as well as their specific content along the Fermi surface we evaluate the charge and spin dynamical structure factors for the compounds LaOFeAs and LiFeAs, based on tight-binding models which are fully consistent with recent angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data. We find a characteristic intensity redistribution between charge and spin dynamical structure factors which discriminates between sign-reversing and sign-preserving quasiparticle excitations. Consequently, our results show that RIXS spectra can distinguish between $s_\pm$ and $s_{++}$ wave gap functions in the singlet pairing case. In addition, we find that an analogous intensity redistribution at small momenta can reveal the presence of a chiral $p$-wave triplet pairing.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Heavy fermion properties of the Kondo Lattice model

We study the S = 1/2 Kondo lattice model which is widely used to describe heavy fermion behavior. In conventional treatments of the model the Kondo interaction is decoupled in favour of a hybridization of conduction and localized f electrons. However, such an approximation breaks the local gauge symmetry and implicates that the local f-occupation is no longer conserved. To avoid these problems, we use in this work an alternative approach to the model based on the Projective Renormalization Method (PRM). Thereby, within the conduction electron spectral function we identify the lattice Kondo resonance as an almost flat excitation near the Fermi surface which is composed of conduction electron creation operators combined with localized spin fluctuations. This leads to an alternative description of the Kondo resonance without having to resort to an artificial symmetry breaking

Unconventional superconductivity and interaction induced Fermi surface reconstruction in the two-dimensional Edwards model

We study the competition between unconventional superconducting pairing and charge density wave (CDW) formation for the two-dimensional Edwards Hamiltonian at half filling, a very general two-dimensional transport model in which fermionic charge carriers couple to a correlated background medium. Using the projective renormalization method we find that a strong renormalization of the original fermionic band causes a new hole-like Fermi surface to emerge near the center of the Brillouin zone, before it eventually gives rise to the formation of a charge density wave. On the new, disconnected parts of the Fermi surface superconductivity is induced with a sign-changing order parameter. We discuss these findings in the light of recent experiments on iron-based oxypnictide superconductors.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Berry curvature unravelled by the Nernst effect in Mn3_3Ge

The discovery of topological quantum materials represents a striking innovation in modern condensed matter physics with remarkable fundamental and technological implications. Their classification has been recently extended to topological Weyl semimetals, i.e., solid state systems which exhibit the elusive Weyl fermions as low-energy excitations. Here we show that the Nernst effect can be exploited as a sensitive probe for determining key parameters of the Weyl physics, applying it to the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Ge. This compound exhibits anomalous thermoelectric transport due to enhanced Berry curvature from Weyl points located extremely close to the Fermi level. We establish from our data a direct measure of the Berry curvature at the Fermi level and, using a minimal model of a Weyl semimetal, extract for the first time the Weyl point energy and their distance in momentum-space

Disorder-induced coupling of Weyl nodes in WTe2

The finite coupling between Weyl nodes due to residual disorder is investigated by magnetotransport studies in WTe2. The anisotropic scattering of quasiparticles is evidenced from classical and quantum transport measurements. A theoretical approach using the real band structure is developed in order to calculate the dependence of the scattering anisotropy with the correlation length of the disorder. A comparison between theory and experiments reveals a short correlation length in WTe2 (ξ∼5 nm). This result implies a significant coupling between Weyl nodes and other bands. Our study thus shows that a finite intercone scattering rate always exists in weakly disordered type-II Weyl semimetals, such as WTe2, which strongly suppresses topologically nontrivial properties