Peculiar Phase Diagram with Isolated Superconducting Regions in ThFeAsN$_{1-x}$O$_x$

TL;DR

This study explores the complex phase diagram of ThFeAsN$_{1-x}$O$_x$, revealing isolated superconducting regions and unusual electronic behaviors, which provide new insights into iron-based superconductor mechanisms.

Contribution

It uncovers a peculiar phase diagram with re-emerging superconductivity at specific oxygen doping levels, highlighting the role of internal chemical pressure and electronic correlations.

Findings

Superconductivity at 30 K in non-doped ThFeAsN.

Re-entrant superconductivity with a maximum $T_c$ of 17.5 K at $x=0.3$.

Distinct Fermi liquid and non-Fermi-liquid behaviors across doping levels.

Abstract

ThFeAsN$_{1-x}$O$_x$ ($0\leq x\leq0.6$) system with heavy electron doping has been studied by the measurements of X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat. The non-doped compound exhibits superconductivity at $T_\mathrm{c}^\mathrm{onset}=30$ K, which is possibly due to an internal uniaxial chemical pressure that is manifested by the extremely small value of As height with respect to the Fe plane. With the oxygen substitution, the $T_\mathrm{c}$ value decreases rapidly to below 2 K for $0.1\leq x\leq0.2$, and surprisingly, superconductivity re-appears in the range of $0.25\leq x\leq0.5$ with a maximum $T_\mathrm{c}^\mathrm{onset}$ of 17.5 K at $x=0.3$. For the normal-state resistivity, while the samples in intermediate non-superconducting interval exhibit Fermi liquid behavior, those in other regions show a non-Fermi-liquid behavior. The specific heat jump for the superconducting sample of $x=0.4$ is $\Delta C/(\gamma T_\mathrm{c})=0.89$, which is discussed in terms of anisotropic superconducting gap. The peculiar phase diagram in ThFeAsN$_{1-x}$O$_x$ presents additional ingredients for understanding the superconducting mechanism in iron-based superconductors.