When superconductivity does not fear magnetism: Insight into electronic structure of RbEuFe$_{4}$As$_{4}$

TL;DR

This study reveals that in RbEuFe$_{4}$As$_{4}$, superconductivity coexists with Eu magnetic order without interference, showing independent electronic states and similar superconducting gaps compared to non-magnetic counterparts.

Contribution

It provides detailed electronic structure analysis demonstrating the decoupling of magnetism and superconductivity in RbEuFe$_{4}$As$_{4}$, a novel iron-based superconductor.

Findings

Superconducting gaps are similar to non-magnetic analogs.

Eu magnetism does not affect electron pairing.

Superconducting and magnetic orders are independent.

Abstract

In the novel stoichiometric iron-based material RbEuFe$_{4}$As$_{4}$ superconductivity coexists with a peculiar long-range magnetic order of Eu 4f states. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we reveal a complex three dimensional electronic structure and compare it with density functional theory calculations. Multiple superconducting gaps were measured on various sheets of the Fermi surface. High resolution resonant photoemission spectroscopy reveals magnetic order of the Eu 4f states deep into the superconducting phase. Both the absolute values and the anisotropy of the superconducting gaps are remarkably similar to the sibling compound without Eu, indicating that Eu magnetism does not affect the pairing of electrons. A complete decoupling between Fe- and Eu-derived states was established from their evolution with temperature, thus unambiguously demonstrating that superconducting and a long range magnetic orders exist independently from each other. The established electronic structure of RbEuFe$_{4}$As$_{4}$ opens opportunities for the future studies of the highly unorthodox electron pairing and phase competition in this family of iron-based superconductors with doping.