Subdominant $d$-wave interaction in superconducting CaKFe$_4$As$_2$?

TL;DR

This study uses inelastic light scattering to investigate the superconducting properties of CaKFe$_4$As$_2$, revealing evidence of subdominant $d$-wave pairing interactions through observed collective modes and spectral weight redistribution.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence for subdominant $d$-wave interactions in CaKFe$_4$As$_2$ via Raman spectroscopy, highlighting collective modes consistent with Bardasis-Schrieffer excitations.

Findings

Observation of pair-breaking peaks consistent with photoemission data

Detection of a Bardasis-Schrieffer mode at 134 cm$^{-1}$

Weak peak at 50 cm$^{-1}$ possibly indicating another BS mode

Abstract

We report inelastic light scattering results on the stoichiometric and fully ordered superconductor CaKFe$_4$As$_2$ as a function of temperature and light polarization. In the energy range between 10 and 315 cm$^{-1}$ (1.24 and 39.1 meV) we observe the particle-hole continuum above and below the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ and 7 of the 8 Raman active phonons. The main focus is placed on the analysis of the electronic excitations. Below $T_c$ all three symmetries projected with in-plane polarizations display a redistribution of spectral weight characteristic for superconductivity. The energies of the pair-breaking peaks in $A_{1g}$ and $B_{2g}$ symmetry are in approximate agreement with the results from photoemission studies. In $B_{1g}$ symmetry the difference between normal and superconducting state is most pronounced, and the feature is shifted downwards with respect to those in $A_{1g}$ and $B_{2g}$ symmetry. The maximum peaking at 134 cm$^{-1}$ (16.6 meV) has a substructure on the high-energy side. We interpret the peak at 134 cm$^{-1}$ in terms of a collective Bardasis-Schrieffer (BS) mode and the substructure as a remainder of the pair-breaking feature on the electron bands. There is a very weak peak at 50 cm$^{-1}$ (6.2 meV) which is tentatively assigned to another BS mode.