Elliptical vortex and oblique vortex lattice in the FeSe superconductor based on the nematicity and mixed superconducting orders

TL;DR

This paper models the nematic superconducting state in FeSe, revealing how nematicity induces elliptical vortex cores and a lozenge-like vortex lattice, aligning with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces an extended Ginzburg-Landau model coupling nematic and mixed superconducting orders to explain vortex shapes and lattice structures in FeSe.

Findings

Nematic order causes elliptical vortex cores.

Vortex lattice forms a lozenge-like pattern.

Model aligns with experimental vortex observations.

Abstract

The electronic nematic phase is characterized as an ordered state of matter with rotational symmetry breaking, and has been well studied in the quantum Hall system and the high-$T_c$ superconductors, regardless of cuprate or pnictide family. The nematic state in high-$T_c$ systems often relates to the structural transition or electronic instability in the normal phase. Nevertheless, the electronic states below the superconducting transition temperature is still an open question. With high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope measurements, direct observation of vortex core in FeSe thin films revealed the nematic superconducting state by Song \emph{et al}. Here, motivated by the experiment, we construct the extended Ginzburg-Landau free energy to describe the elliptical vortex, where a mixed \emph{s}-wave and \emph{d}-wave superconducting order is coupled to the nematic order. The nematic order induces the mixture of two superconducting orders and enhances the anisotropic interaction between the two superconducting orders, resulting in a symmetry breaking from $C_4$ to $C_2$. Consequently, the vortex cores are stretched into an elliptical shape. In the equilibrium state, the elliptical vortices assemble a lozenge-like vortex lattice, being well consistent with experimental results.