Phonon dynamics in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 and Ca0.6Na0.4Fe2As2

TL;DR

This study investigates phonon behavior in two iron-based superconductors using neutron scattering, revealing doping-related phonon softening with no significant change across the superconducting transition.

Contribution

It provides new insights into phonon dynamics and their temperature dependence in Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 and Ca0.6Na0.4Fe2As2, using inelastic neutron scattering and lattice dynamical modeling.

Findings

Doping affects low and intermediate frequency phonons.

Phonon softening occurs below 10 meV upon cooling.

No significant phonon density of states change across Tc.

Abstract

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the phonon density-of-states in superconducting Sr0.6K0.4Fe2As2 (Tc=30 K) and Ca0.6Na0.4Fe2As2 (Tc=18 K). Compared with the parent compound BaFe2As2 doping affects mainly the lower and intermediate frequency part of the vibrations. Mass effects and lattice contraction cannot explain these changes. A lattice dynamical model has been used to identify the character of the various phonon bands. Softening of phonon modes below 10 meV has been observed in both samples on cooling from 300 K to 140 K. In the Ca doped compound the softening amounts to about 1 meV while for the Sr doped compound the softening is about 0.5 meV. There is no appreciable change in the phonon density of states when crossing Tc.