Superconductivity driven helical magnetic structure in EuRbFe$_4$As$_4$ ferromagnetic superconductor

TL;DR

This paper proposes that superconductivity can induce a short-period helical magnetic structure in EuRbFe$_4$As$_4$, driven by exchange interactions, differing from electromagnetic mechanisms in similar compounds.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical explanation for the superconductivity-driven helical magnetic structure in EuRbFe$_4$As$_4$, emphasizing the dominance of exchange interactions over electromagnetic effects.

Findings

Superconductivity may induce short-period helical magnetic structures.

Exchange mechanism can dominate over electromagnetic effects.

External magnetic field influences the magnetic structure onset temperature.

Abstract

Recently the evidence of the helical magnetic structure modulated along $c$-axis with the period of four lattice parameters was obtained in easy $ab$ plane ferromagnetic superconductor EuRbFe$_4$As$_4$ [K. Iida et al., Phys. Rev. B 100, 014506 (2019)]. We argue that such structure may appear due to the presence of superconductivity. In spite of the very small value of the exchange field acting on the superconducting electrons in EuRbFe$_4$As$_4$, the exchange mechanism of interaction between superconductivity and ferromagnetism could dominate over the electromagnetic one and this circumstance could favor the emergence of the short-period magnetic structure (with the period less than the superconducting coherence length). Such a situation differs from one in the similar compound P-doped EuFe$_2$As$_2$, where the electromagnetic mechanism dominates and results in the magnetic structure with significantly larger period (of the order of London penetration depth). We also analyze the effect of the external magnetic field on the onset temperature of the modulated magnetic structure.