Using Gap Symmetry and Structure to Reveal the Pairing Mechanism in Fe-based Superconductors

TL;DR

This review explores how gap symmetry and structure in Fe-based superconductors reveal the pairing mechanisms, highlighting recent challenges to the standard s-wave paradigm and proposing experimental signatures of novel pairing states.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent theoretical and experimental developments, emphasizing the potential to distinguish pairing symmetries and the role of disorder in Fe-based superconductors.

Findings

Evidence of competition between s- and d-wave pairing channels.

Possible transition between s- and d-wave symmetries, including $s+id$ states.

Disorder effects can help identify gap symmetry and structure.

Abstract

I review theoretical ideas and implications of experiments for the gap structure and symmetry of the Fe-based superconductors. Unlike any other class of unconventional superconductors, one has in these systems the possibility to tune the interactions by small changes in pressure, doping or disorder. Thus, measurements of order parameter evolution with these parameters should enable a deeper understanding of the underlying interactions. I briefly review the "standard paradigm" for $s$-wave pairing in these systems, and then focus on developments in the past several years which have challenged this picture. I discuss the reasons for the apparent close competition between pairing in s- and d-wave channels, particularly in those systems where one type of Fermi surface pocket -- hole or electron -- is missing. Observation of a transition between $s$- and $d$-wave symmetry, possibly via a time reversal symmetry breaking "$s+id$" state, would provide an importantconfirmation of these ideas. Several proposals for detecting these novel phases are discussed, including the appearance of order parameter collective modes in Raman and optical conductivities. Transitions between two different types of $s$-wave states, involving various combinations of signs on Fermi surface pockets, can also proceed through a ${\cal T}$-breaking "$s+is$" state. I discuss recent work that suggests pairing may take place away from the Fermi level over a surprisingly large energy range, as well as the effect of glide plane symmetry of the Fe-based systems on the superconductivity, including various exotic, time and translational invariance breaking pair states that have been proposed. Finally, I address disorder issues, and the various ways systematic introduction of disorder can (and cannot) be used to extract information on gap symmetry and structure.