Macroscopic phase segregation in superconducting K0.73Fe1.67Se2 as seen by muon spin rotation and infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Using muon spin rotation (\muSR) and infrared spectroscopy we investigated the recently discovered superconductor K0.73Fe1.67Se2 with Tc = 32 K. We show that the combined data can be consistently described in terms of a macroscopically phase segregated state with a matrix of ~88% volume fraction that is insulating and strongly magnetic and inclusions with a ~12% volume fraction which are metallic, superconducting and non-magnetic. The electronic properties of the latter, in terms of the normal state plasma frequency and the superconducting condensate density, appear to be similar as in other iron selenide or arsenide superconductors.

22 pages, 8 figures. (citation list correction.)

References in corpus (16)

• Magnetic Order versus superconductivity in the Iron-based layered La(O1-xFx)FeAs systems
• Effects of Co substitution on thermodynamic and transport properties and anisotropic $H_{c2}$ in Ba(Fe${}_{1-x}$Co${}_x$)${}_2$As${}_2$ single crystals
• Heavily electron-doped electronic structure and isotropic superconducting gap in AxFe2Se2 (A=K,Cs)
• The electronic phase diagram of the LaO1-xFxFeAs superconductor
• Commensurate Spin Density Wave in LaOFeAs: A Local Probe Study
• Coexistence of static magnetism and superconductivity in SmFeAsO1-xFx as revealed by muon spin rotation
• Strong nodeless pairing on separate electron Fermi surface sheets in (Tl, K)Fe${}_{1.78}$Se${}_2$ probed by ARPES
• Interplay of Rare Earth and Iron magnetism in RFeAsO with R = La, Ce, Pr, and Sm: A muon spin relaxation study and symmetry analysis
• Intrinsic phase separation in superconducting K0.8Fe1.6Se2 (Tc= 31.8 K) single crystals
• Coexistence of magnetic fluctuations and superconductivity in the pnictide high temperature superconductor SmFeAsO${}_{1-x}$F${}_x$ measured by muon spin rotation
• Electrodynamics of electron doped iron-pnictide superconductors: Normal state properties
• Coexistence and competition of magnetism and superconductivity on the nanometer scale in underdoped BaFe1.89Co0.11As2
• Crystal structure, physical properties and superconductivity in $A_x$Fe${}_2$Se${}_2$ single crystals
• Two Ising-like magnetic excitations in a single-layer cuprate superconductor
• Optical properties of the iron-chalcogenide superconductor FeTe0.55Se0.45
• Superconducting critical fields of K${}_{0.8}$Fe${}_2$Se${}_2$ single crystal

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Structure, magnetic order and excitations in the 245 family of Fe-based superconductors
• Muon spin rotation study of magnetism and superconductivity in Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 single crystals
• Optical conductivity of iron-based superconductors
• Superconductivity and magnetism in RbxFe2-ySe2: Impact of thermal treatment on mesoscopic phase separation
• High resolution characterisation of microstructural evolution in Rb${}_x$Fe${}_{2-y}$Se${}_2$ crystals on annealing
• Effective medium approximation and the complex optical properties of the inhomogeneous superconductor K_{0.8}Fe_{2-y}Se_2
• Infrared ellipsometry study of the charge dynamics in K3p-terphenyl