Stripe antiferromagnetic correlations in LaFeAsO1-xFx probed by 75As NMR

TL;DR

This study uses 75As NMR to investigate stripe antiferromagnetic correlations in LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$, revealing their connection to high-temperature superconductivity and how these correlations vary with doping levels.

Contribution

It provides direct NMR evidence of stripe correlations in LaFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$ and links their presence to the emergence of high-$T_c$ superconductivity.

Findings

Stripe correlations are present in superconducting samples with x=0.07 and 0.11.

Stripe correlations diminish in overdoped x=0.14 where superconductivity is suppressed.

Anisotropy of $1/T_1$ indicates local stripe correlations are linked to Fermi surface nesting.

Abstract

The anisotropy of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_{1}$ of $^{75}$As was investigated in the iron-based superconductor LaFeAs(O$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$) ($x = 0.07, 0.11$ and 0.14) as well as LaFeAsO. While the temperature dependence of the normal-state $1/T_1T$ in the superconducting (SC) $x = 0.07$ is different from that in the SC $x = 0.11$, their anisotropy of $1/T_1$, $R \equiv (1/T_{1})_{H \parallel ab}/(1/T_{1})_{H \parallel c}$ in the normal state is almost the same ($\simeq$ 1.5). The observed anisotropy is ascribable to the presence of the local stripe correlations with $Q = (\pi, 0)$ or $(0, \pi)$. In contrast, $1/T_1$ is isotropic and $R$ is approximately 1 in the overdoped $x = 0.14$ sample, where superconductivity is almost suppressed. These results suggest that the presence of the local stripe correlations originating from the nesting between hole and electron Fermi surfaces is linked to high-$T_c$ superconductivity in iron pnictides.