Nodal s$_\pm$ Pairing Symmetry in an Iron-Based Superconductor with only Hole Pockets

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution laser ARPES and neutron scattering to determine the pairing symmetry in KFe$_2$As$_2$, revealing an s$_ ext{±}$ symmetry with a sign change between hole pockets, supporting spin fluctuation as the pairing mechanism.

Contribution

First direct determination of s$_ ext{±}$ pairing symmetry in a hole-pocket-only iron superconductor using combined ARPES and neutron scattering data.

Findings

Identified superconducting gap nodes on all Fermi surfaces.

Confirmed s$_ ext{±}$ pairing symmetry with sign reversal between hole pockets.

Supported spin fluctuation as the pairing glue.

Abstract

The origin of the high temperature superconductivity in the iron-based superconductors remains elusive after being extensively studied for more than a decade. Determination of the pairing symmetry is essential in understanding the superconductivity mechanism. In the iron-based superconductors that have hole pockets around the Brillouin zone center and electron pockets around the zone corners, the pairing symmetry is generally considered to be s$_\pm$, endowing a sign change in the superconducting gap between the hole and electron pockets. For the iron-based superconductors with only hole pockets, however, a couple of pairing scenarios have been proposed but the exact symmetry is still highly controversial. Here we report our determination of the pairing symmetry in KFe$_2$As$_2$ which is a prototypical iron-based superconductor with hole pockets both around the zone center and around the zone corners. By taking laser-based angle resolved photoemission measurements with super-high resolution and at ultra-low temperature, we have precisely determined the superconducting gap distribution and identified the locations of the gap nodes on all the Fermi surface around the zone center and the zone corners. The complete superconducting gap structure, in combination with the observation of the spin resonance in neutron scattering, provides strong evidence on the s$_\pm$ pairing symmetry in KFe$_2$As$_2$ with a gap sign reversal between the hole pockets around the zone center and the hole pockets around the zone corners. These results unify the pairing symmetry in the hole-doped iron-based superconductors and point to the spin fluctuation as the pairing glue in generating superconductivity.