A Mott insulator continuously connected to iron pnictide superconductors

Yu Song, Zahra Yamani, Chongde Cao, Yu Li, Chenglin Zhang, Justin S. Chen, Qingzhen Huang, Hui Wu, Jing Tao, Yimei Zhu, Wei Tian, Songxue Chi, Huibo Cao, Yao-Bo Huang, Marcus Dantz, Thorsten Schmitt, Rong Yu, Andriy H. Nevidomskyy, Emilia Morosan, Qimiao Si () and Pengcheng Dai ()
Additional contact information
Yu Song: Rice University
Zahra Yamani: Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River Laboratories
Chongde Cao: Rice University
Yu Li: Rice University
Chenglin Zhang: Rice University
Justin S. Chen: Rice University
Qingzhen Huang: NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Hui Wu: NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Jing Tao: Brookhaven National National Laboratory
Yimei Zhu: Brookhaven National National Laboratory
Wei Tian: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Songxue Chi: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Huibo Cao: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Yao-Bo Huang: Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Light Source
Marcus Dantz: Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Light Source
Thorsten Schmitt: Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Light Source
Rong Yu: Renmin University of China
Andriy H. Nevidomskyy: Rice University
Emilia Morosan: Rice University
Qimiao Si: Rice University
Pengcheng Dai: Rice University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Iron-based superconductivity develops near an antiferromagnetic order and out of a bad-metal normal state, which has been interpreted as originating from a proximate Mott transition. Whether an actual Mott insulator can be realized in the phase diagram of the iron pnictides remains an open question. Here we use transport, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and neutron scattering to demonstrate that NaFe1−xCuxAs near x≈0.5 exhibits real space Fe and Cu ordering, and are antiferromagnetic insulators with the insulating behaviour persisting above the Néel temperature, indicative of a Mott insulator. On decreasing x from 0.5, the antiferromagnetic-ordered moment continuously decreases, yielding to superconductivity ∼x=0.05. Our discovery of a Mott-insulating state in NaFe1−xCuxAs thus makes it the only known Fe-based material, in which superconductivity can be smoothly connected to the Mott-insulating state, highlighting the important role of electron correlations in the high-Tc superconductivity.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13879

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