Theory of quasiparticle vortex bound states in Fe-based superconductors: application to LiFeAs

Abstract

Spectroscopy of vortex bound states can provide valuable information on the structure of the superconducting order parameter. Quasiparticle wavefunctions are expected to leak out in the directions of gap minima or nodes, if they exist, and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) on these low-energy states should probe the momentum dependence of the gap. Anisotropy can also arise from band structure effects, however. We perform a quasiclassical calculation of the density of states of a single vortex in an anisotropic superconductor, and show that if the gap itself is not highly anisotropic, the Fermi surface anisotropy dominates, preventing direct observation of superconducting gap features. This serves as a cautionary message for the analysis of STS data on the vortex state on Fe-based superconductors, in particular LiFeAs, which we treat explicitly.

4 pages, 2 figures

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Cited by in corpus (14)

• Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy of Vortices in LiFeAs
• Influence of the multiband sign changing superconductivity on the vortex cores and on vortex pinning in the new stoichiometric high Tc CaKFe4As4
• Superconducting gap in LiFeAs from three-dimensional spin-fluctuation pairing calculations
• Dopant Clustering, Electronic Inhomogeneity, and Vortex Pinning in Iron-Based Superconductors
• Two distinct superconducting states controlled by orientation of local wrinkles in LiFeAs
• Vector field controlled vortex lattice symmetry in LiFeAs
• Anisotropic non-split zero-energy vortex bound states in a conventional superconductor
• Pairing insights in iron-based superconductors from scanning tunneling microscopy
• Vortex spectroscopy in the vortex glass: A real-space numerical approach
• Electronic vortex structure of Fe-based superconductors: application to LiFeAs
• Single Vortex Pinning and Penetration Depth in Superconducting NdFeAsO${}_{1-x}$F${}_x$
• Role of Fermi surface anisotropy in the study of gap anisotropy using magnetic-field-angle dependence of thermal oscillations in AyFe2-xSe2 superconductors
• Signatures of unconventional pairing in near-vortex electronic structure of LiFeAs
• Necklace-like pattern of vortex bound states