Band structure and Fermi surfaces of the reentrant ferromagnetic superconductor Eu(Fe0.86Ir0.14)2As2

TL;DR

This study investigates the electronic structure and Fermi surfaces of the reentrant superconductor Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, revealing isotropic s-wave superconductivity and the effects of Ir doping on its electronic properties.

Contribution

It provides detailed ARPES and STS analysis of Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$, highlighting the preserved Fermi surface topology and the nature of its superconducting gap.

Findings

Isotropic s-wave superconducting gap with 2$ riangle$/k$_B$T$_c$ ≈ 5.8

Fermi surface topology remains unchanged despite Ir doping

Effective hole doping observed with Ir substitution

Abstract

The electronic structure of the reentrant superconductor Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ (T$_c$ = 22 K) with coexisting ferromagnetic order (T$_M$ = 18 K) is investigated using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). We study the in-plane and out-of-plane band dispersions and Fermi surface (FS) of Eu(Fe$_{0.86}$Ir$_{0.14}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$. The near E$_F$ Fe 3d-derived band dispersions near the $\Gamma$ and X high-symmetry points show changes due to Ir substitution, but the FS topology is preserved. From momentum dependent measurements of the superconducting gap measured at T = 5 K, we estimate an essentially isotropic s-wave gap ($\Delta\sim5.25\pm 0.25$ meV), indicative of strong-coupling superconductivity with 2$\Delta$/k$_{B}$T$_{c}\simeq$ 5.8. The gap gets closed at temperatures T $\geq$ 10 K, and this is attributed to the resistive phase which sets in at T$_M$ = 18 K due to the Eu$^{2+}$-derived magnetic order. The modifications of the FS with Ir substitution clearly indicates an effective hole doping with respect to the parent compound.