Electronic Origin of High Temperature Superconductivity in Single-Layer FeSe Superconductor

TL;DR

This paper investigates the electronic structure of single-layer FeSe superconductor, revealing a unique Fermi surface and isotropic superconducting gap, which are key to understanding its high critical temperature and the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of the electronic structure of single-layer FeSe, linking its unique features to high temperature superconductivity, a significant step forward in the field.

Findings

Fermi surface consists only of electron pockets near the zone corner

Superconducting gap is large and nearly isotropic, with no nodes

Unique electronic structure correlates with high Tc in single-layer FeSe

Abstract

The latest discovery of high temperature superconductivity signature in single-layer FeSe is significant because it is possible to break the superconducting critical temperature ceiling (maximum Tc~55 K) that has been stagnant since the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity in 2008. It also blows the superconductivity community by surprise because such a high Tc is unexpected in FeSe system with the bulk FeSe exhibiting a Tc at only 8 K at ambient pressure which can be enhanced to 38 K under high pressure. The Tc is still unusually high even considering the newly-discovered intercalated FeSe system A_xFe_{2-y}Se_2 (A=K, Cs, Rb and Tl) with a Tc at 32 K at ambient pressure and possible Tc near 48 K under high pressure. Particularly interesting is that such a high temperature superconductivity occurs in a single-layer FeSe system that is considered as a key building block of the Fe-based superconductors. Understanding the origin of high temperature superconductivity in such a strictly two-dimensional FeSe system is crucial to understanding the superconductivity mechanism in Fe-based superconductors in particular, and providing key insights on how to achieve high temperature superconductivity in general. Here we report distinct electronic structure associated with the single-layer FeSe superconductor. Its Fermi surface topology is different from other Fe-based superconductors; it consists only of electron pockets near the zone corner without indication of any Fermi surface around the zone center. Our observation of large and nearly isotropic superconducting gap in this strictly two-dimensional system rules out existence of node in the superconducting gap. These results have provided an unambiguous case that such a unique electronic structure is favorable for realizing high temperature superconductivity.