Coherence Length of Electronic Nematicity in Iron-Based Superconductors

Abstract

Recent developments in laser-excited photoemission electron microscopy (laser-PEEM) advance the visualization of electronic nematicity and nematic domain structures in iron-based superconductors. In FeSe and BaFe${}_2$(As${}_{0.87}$P${}_{0.13}$)${}_2$ superconductors, it has been reported that the thickness of the electronic nematic domain walls is unexpectedly long, leading to the formation of mesoscopic nematicity wave [T. Shimojima $\text{et al.}$, Science $\text{373}$ (2021) 1122]. This finding demonstrates that the nematic coherence length ${\xi }_{\mathrm{nem}}$ can be decoupled from the lattice domain wall. Here, we report that the electronic domain wall thickness shows a distinct variation in related materials: it is similarly long in FeSe${}_{0.9}$S${}_{0.1}$ whereas it is much shorter in undoped BaFe${}_2$As${}_2$. We find a correlation between the thick domain walls and the non-Fermi liquid properties of normal-state resistivity above the nematic transition temperature. This suggests that the nematic coherence length can be enhanced by underlying spin-orbital fluctuations responsible for the anomalous transport properties.

5 pages, 3 figures

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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Energy-Resolved Real-Space Imaging of Orbital Nematicity in an Fe-Based Superconductor