Orbital-driven two-dome superconducting phases in iron-based superconductors

TL;DR

This paper proposes an orbital-driven mechanism explaining the two-dome superconducting phases in iron-based superconductors, highlighting the role of isotropic orbitals in the second superconducting phase.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of electronic structures and orbital contributions, revealing the orbital-selective pairing state responsible for the two-dome phases.

Findings

Isotropic orbitals drive the second parent phase.

Second superconducting phase is contributed by isotropic orbitals.

Orbital-driven mechanism explains the two-dome phases.

Abstract

Recent several experiments revealed that novel bipartite magnetic/superconducting phases widely exist in iron pnictides and chalcogenides. Nevertheless, the origin of the two-dome superconducting phases in iron-based compounds still remains unclear. Here we theoretically investigated the electronic structures, magnetic and superconducting properties of three representative iron-based systems, i.e. LaFeAsO1-xHx, LaFeAs1-xPxO and KFe2As2. We found that in addition to the degenerate in-plane anisotropic xz/yz orbitals, the quasi-degenerate in-plane isotropic orbitals drive these systems entering into the second parent phase. Moreover, the second superconducting phase is contributed by the isotropic orbitals rather than the anisotropic ones in the first superconducting phase, indicating an orbital-selective pairing state. These results imply an orbital-driven mechanism and shed light on the understanding of the two-dome magnetic/superconducting phases in iron-based compounds.