Macroscopic phase segregation in superconducting K<sub>0.73</sub>Fe<sub>1.67</sub>Se₂ as seen by muon spin rotation and infrared spectroscopy

Wang, Chen Nan; Marsik, Premysl; Schuster, Roman; Dubroka, Adam; Rössle, Matthias; Niedermayer, Ch.; Varma, G. D.; Wang, A. F.; Chen, X. H.; Wolf, T.; Bernhard, Christian

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.85.214503

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Journal article

Macroscopic phase segregation in superconducting K_0.73Fe_1.67Se₂ as seen by muon spin rotation and infrared spectroscopy

Wang, Chen Nan Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Marsik, Premysl Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Schuster, Roman Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Dubroka, Adam Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Rössle, Matthias Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Niedermayer, Ch. Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
Varma, G. D. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
Wang, A. F. Department of Physics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Chen, X. H. Department of Physics, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Wolf, T. Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie, Institut für Festkörperphysik, Germany
Bernhard, Christian Department of Physics and Fribourg Centre for Nanomaterials, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

01.06.2012

Published in:

Physical Review B - Condensed matter and materials physics. - 2012, vol. 85, no. 21, p. 214503

English Using muon spin rotation and infrared spectroscopy, we investigated the recently discovered superconductor K_0.73Fe_1.67Se₂ with T_c≈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 an ∼12% volume fraction, which are metallic, superconducting, and nonmagnetic. 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.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Physique

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