Probing the pairing symmetry in the over-doped Fe-based superconductor Ba_0.35Rb_0.65Fe_2As_2 as a function of hydrostatic pressure

TL;DR

This study investigates the pairing symmetry in over-doped Ba_{1-x}Rb_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2} using muon spin rotation, revealing a doping-induced transition from s^{+-} to d-wave symmetry, with the d-wave pairing being robust under pressure.

Contribution

It provides evidence for a doping-dependent change in pairing symmetry from s^{+-} to d-wave in Ba_{1-x}Rb_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}, and shows that d-wave pairing remains stable under hydrostatic pressure.

Findings

Doping induces a change from s^{+-} to d-wave pairing symmetry.

D-wave order parameter is robust against pressure up to 2.3 GPa.

Superconducting properties show modest pressure dependence depending on doping level.

Abstract

We report muon spin rotation experiments on the magnetic penetration depth lambda and the temperature dependence of lambda^{-2} in the over-doped Fe-based high-temperature superconductor (Fe-HTS) Ba_{1-x}Rb_ xFe_2As_2 (x = 0.65) studied at ambient and under hydrostatic pressures up to p = 2.3 GPa. We find that in this system lambda^{-2}(T) is best described by d-wave scenario. This is in contrast to the case of the optimally doped x = 0.35 system which is known to be a nodeless s^{+-}-wave superconductor. This suggests that the doping induces the change of the pairing symmetry from s^{+-} to d-wave in Ba_{1-x}Rb_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}. In addition, we find that the d-wave order parameter is robust against pressure, suggesting that d is the common and dominant pairing symmetry in over-doped Ba_{1-x}Rb_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}. Application of pressure of p = 2.3 GPa causes a decrease of lambda(0) by less than 5 %, while at optimal doping x = 0.35 a significant decrease of lambda(0) was reported. The superconducting transition temperature T_c as well as the gap to T_c ratio 2Delta/k_BT_c show only a modest decrease with pressure. By combining the present data with those previously obtained for optimally doped system x = 0.35 and for the end member x = 1 we conclude that the SC gap symmetry as well as the pressure effects on the SC quantities strongly depend on the Rb doping level. These results are discussed in the light of the putative Lifshitz transition, i.e., a disappearance of the electron pockets in the Fermi surface of Ba_{1-x}Rb_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2} upon hole doping.