Orbital transmutation and the electronic spectrum of FeSe in the nematic phase

Abstract

We consider the electronic spectrum near $M=(\pi ,\pi )$ in the nematic phase of FeSe ($T<T_{\mathrm{nem}}$) and make a detailed comparison with recent ARPES and STM experiments. Our main focus is the unexpected temperature dependence of the excitations at the $M$ point. These have been identified as having $xz$ and $yz$ orbital character well below $T_{\mathrm{nem}}$, but remain split at $T>T_{\mathrm{nem}}$, in apparent contradiction to the fact that in the tetragonal phase the $xz$ and $yz$ orbitals are degenerate. Here we present two scenarios which can describe the data. In both scenarios, hybridization terms present in the tetragonal phase leads to an orbital transmutation, a change in the dominant orbital character of some of the bands, between $T>T_{\mathrm{nem}}$ and $T\ll T_{\mathrm{nem}}$. The first scenario relies on the spin-orbit coupling at the $M$ point. We show that a finite spin-orbit coupling gives rise to orbital transmutation, in which one of the modes, identified as $xz$ ($yz)$ at $T\ll T_{\mathrm{nem}}$, becomes predominantly $xy$ at $T>T_{\mathrm{nem}}$ and hence does not merge with the predominantly $yz$ ($xz$) mode. The second scenario, complementary to the first, takes into consideration the fact that both ARPES and STM are surface probes. In the bulk, a direct hybridization between the $xz$ and $yz$ orbitals is not allowed at the $M$ point, however, it is permitted on the surface. In the presence of a direct $xz/yz$ hybridization, the orbital character of the $xz/yz$ modes changes from pure $xz$ and pure $yz$ at $T\ll T_{\mathrm{nem}}$ to $xz\pm yz$ at $T>T_{\mathrm{nem}}$, i.e., the two modes again have mono-orbital character at low $T$, but do not merge at $T_{\mathrm{nem}}$. We discuss how these scenarios can be distinguished in polarized ARPES experiments.

12 + epsilon pages, 13 figures

References in corpus (12)

• The Structural Phase Transition in FeSe (Fe1+dSe)
• Emergence of the nematic electronic state in FeSe
• Lifting of xz/yz orbital degeneracy at the structural transition in detwinned FeSe
• Nematicity, magnetism and superconductivity in FeSe
• The key ingredients of the electronic structure of FeSe
• Anomalous Fermi surface in FeSe seen by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation measurements
• Distinguishing spin-orbit coupling and nematic order in the electronic spectrum of iron-based superconductors
• Quantum oscillations and upper critical magnetic field of the iron-based superconductor FeSe
• Momentum Dependence of the Nematic Order Parameter in Iron-Based Superconductors
• Orbital-selective Mott phase in multiorbital models for iron pnictides and chalcogenides
• Competing instabilities, orbital ordering and splitting of band degeneracies from a parquet renormalization group analysis of a 4-pocket model for iron-based superconductors: application to FeSe
• Intertwined spin-orbital coupled orders in the iron-based superconductors

Cited by in corpus (13)

• On the Remarkable Superconductivity of FeSe and its Close Cousins
• Electronic nematic states tuned by isoelectronic substitution in bulk FeSe1-xSx
• Revealing the single electron pocket of FeSe in a single orthorhombic domain
• Non-local $d_{xy}$ nematicity and the missing electron pocket in FeSe
• Singular magnetic anisotropy in the nematic phase of FeSe
• Raman response in the nematic phase of FeSe
• Inter-orbital nematicity and the origin of a single electron Fermi pocket in FeSe
• FeSe and the missing electron pocket problem
• Resurgence of superconductivity and the role of $d_{xy}$ hole band in FeSe${}_{1-x}$Te${}_x$
• Theory of spin-excitation anisotropy in the nematic phase of FeSe obtained from RIXS measurements
• Decoupling of Lattice and Orbital Degrees of Freedom in an Iron-Pnictide Superconductor
• Specific Heat and the gap structure of a Nematic Superconductor, application to FeSe
• Feedback of non-local $d_{xy}$ nematicity on the magnetic anisotropy in FeSe