Multi-atom quasiparticle scattering interference for superconductor energy-gap symmetry determination

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2021-01-11
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Sharma, Rahul
Kreisel, Andreas
Sulangi, Miguel
Böker, Jakob
Kostin, Andrey
Allan, Milan
Eisaki, H.
Böhmer, Anna
Canfield, Paul
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Canfield, Paul
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Physics and Astronomy
Physics and astronomy are basic natural sciences which attempt to describe and provide an understanding of both our world and our universe. Physics serves as the underpinning of many different disciplines including the other natural sciences and technological areas.
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Ames National LaboratoryPhysics and Astronomy
Abstract

Complete theoretical understanding of the most complex superconductors requires a detailed knowledge of the symmetry of the superconducting energy-gap Δαk, for all momenta k on the Fermi surface of every band α. While there are a variety of techniques for determining |Δαk|, no general method existed to measure the signed values of Δαk. Recently, however, a technique based on phase-resolved visualization of superconducting quasiparticle interference (QPI) patterns, centered on a single non-magnetic impurity atom, was introduced. In principle, energy-resolved and phase-resolved Fourier analysis of these images identifies wavevectors connecting all k-space regions where Δαk has the same or opposite sign. But use of a single isolated impurity atom, from whose precise location the spatial phase of the scattering interference pattern must be measured, is technically difficult. Here we introduce a generalization of this approach for use with multiple impurity atoms, and demonstrate its validity by comparing the Δαk it generates to the Δαk determined from single-atom scattering in FeSe where s± energy-gap symmetry is established. Finally, to exemplify utility, we use the multi-atom technique on LiFeAs and find scattering interference between the hole-like and electron-like pockets as predicted for Δαk of opposite sign.

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