On the Superconductivity of LaFe1-yCoyAsO1-xFx

TL;DR

This study investigates LaFe1-yCoyAsO1-xFx superconductors, providing experimental evidence for singlet pairing and analyzing the effects of Co-doping on the superconducting transition temperature, with implications for understanding pairing mechanisms.

Contribution

It offers new insights into the pairing symmetry and doping effects in LaFe1-yCoyAsO1-xFx superconductors through resistivity, magnetism, and NMR measurements.

Findings

Evidence for singlet pairing from Knight shift suppression.

Co-doping has a minor effect on Tc, suggesting non-nodal superconductivity.

Small Tc suppression may relate to loss of electron itinerancy.

Abstract

We have prepared the superconducting system LaFe1-yCoyAsO1-xFx (x=0.11) and carried out measurements of their electrical resistivities r and superconducting diamagnetisms. 75As- and 135La-NMR studies have also been carried out. The Knight shift observed for 75As has been found to be suppressed by the superconductivity, while for 135La, the shift is almost insensitive to the superconductivity. This result presents rather strong experimental evidence for the singlet pairing. The Co-doping effect on the superconducting transition temperature Tc is not so significant as expected for superconductors with nodes, suggesting that the potential scattering does not seem to primarily suppress the superconductivity. Even for superconductors without nodes, it may not be so trivial to expect this small effect, if there are two different (disconnected) Fermi surfaces whose order parameters have opposite signs. As a possible explanation of this small Tc suppression seems to be related with the loss of the itinerant nature of the electrons.