Nematic transition and nanoscale suppression of superconductivity in Fe(Te,Se)
Nematic transition and nanoscale suppression of superconductivity in Fe(Te,Se)
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DOI：
10.1038/s41567-021-01254-8
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发表时间：
2021-06
期刊：
影响因子：
19.6
通讯作者：
He Zhao;Hong Li;Lianyang Dong;Binjie Xu;J. Schneeloch;R. Zhong;M. Fang;G. Gu;J. Harter
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
He Zhao;Hong Li;Lianyang Dong;Binjie Xu;J. Schneeloch;R. Zhong;M. Fang;G. Gu;J. Harter
不同电子相之间的相互作用构成了非传统超导体物理的基础。最耐人寻味的例子之一是高温超导体FeTe1 -xSex(参考文献，，，-)。这种超导体在超导转变温度达到峰值的同一Se组分周围，经历了与电子能带反转有关的拓扑相变和与旋转对称破缺有关的电子向列相相变。在这种情况下，向列相波动和对称性破坏应变可能是重要的，但这一点还没有得到充分的研究。利用光谱成像扫描隧道显微镜，研究了FeTe_1 -xSex中电子向列相转变随组成的变化。在临界Se组分附近，我们发现了纳米尺度的电子向列性。在静态向列相有序最强的区域，超导相干峰被抑制。通过对扫描隧道显微镜形貌中原子位移的分析，我们发现小的各向异性应变可以产生这些强烈向列相的局域区。我们的实验揭示了FeTe1 -xSex，Near x≈ 0.45，有形成静态向列有序的水坑的趋势，暗示了结构不均匀钉扎的向列相涨落，并证明了各向异性应变对这一区域超导电性的影响。
The interplay of different electronic phases underlies the physics of unconventional superconductors. One of the most intriguing examples is a high-temperature superconductor, FeTe1 –xSex(refs., , , , , , , , , –). This superconductor undergoes both a topological transition,, linked to the electronic band inversion, and an electronic nematic phase transition, associated with rotation symmetry breaking, around the same Se composition where the superconducting transition temperature peaks,. In this regime, nematic fluctuations and symmetry-breaking strain could be important, but this is yet to be fully explored. Using spectroscopic-imaging scanning tunnelling microscopy, we study the electronic nematic transition in FeTe1 –xSexas a function of composition. Near the critical Se composition, we find electronic nematicity in nanoscale regions. The superconducting coherence peaks are suppressed in areas where static nematic order is the strongest. By analysing atomic displacement in scanning tunnelling microscopy topographs, we find that small anisotropic strain can give rise to these strongly nematic localized regions. Our experiments reveal a tendency of FeTe1 –xSex, nearx≈ 0.45, to form puddles hosting static nematic order, suggestive of nematic fluctuations pinned by structural inhomogeneity, and demonstrate the effect of anisotropic strain on superconductivity in this regime.