Intertwined Magnetic and Nematic Orders in Semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2

Yu Song; Huibo Cao; B. C. Chakoumakos; Yang Zhao; Aifeng Wang; Hechang Lei; C. Petrovic; Robert J. Birgeneau

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.087201

Intertwined Magnetic and Nematic Orders in Semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2

Yu Song, Huibo Cao, B. C. Chakoumakos, Yang Zhao, Aifeng Wang, Hechang Lei, C. Petrovic, Robert J. Birgeneau

Single Crystal Diffraction

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Abstract

Superconductivity in the iron pnictides emerges from metallic parent compounds exhibiting intertwined stripe-type magnetic order and nematic order, with itinerant electrons suggested to be essential for both. Here we use x-ray and neutron scattering to show that a similar intertwined state is realized in semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 (K5Fe4Ag6Te10) without itinerant electrons. We find that Fe atoms in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 form isolated 2×2 blocks, separated by nonmagnetic Ag atoms. Long-range magnetic order sets in below TN≈35 K, with magnetic moments within the 2×2 Fe blocks ordering into the stripe-type configuration. A nematic order accompanies the magnetic transition, manifest as a structural distortion that breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the lattice. The nematic orders in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 and iron pnictide parent compounds are similar in magnitude and in how they relate to the magnetic order, indicating a common origin. Since KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 is a semiconductor without itinerant electrons, this indicates that local-moment magnetic interactions are integral to its magnetic and nematic orders, and such interactions may play a key role in iron-based superconductivity.

Original language	English
Article number	087201
Journal	Physical Review Letters
Volume	122
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.087201
State	Published - Feb 25 2019

Funding

The work at ORNL’s HFIR was sponsored by the Scientific User Facilities Division, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences (BES), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). H. B. C. acknowledges support of U.S. DOE BES Early Career Award No. KC0402010 under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. The work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was supported by the Office of Science, Office of BES, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division, of the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-05-CH11231 within the Quantum Materials Program (KC2202). The work at Brookhaven National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-SC0012704.

Funders	Funder number
Office of BES
Scientific User Facilities Division
U.S. DOE BES	DE-AC05-00OR22725, KC0402010
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-SC0012704
Office of Science
Basic Energy Sciences
Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering	DE-AC02-05-CH11231, KC2202

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10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.087201

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title = "Intertwined Magnetic and Nematic Orders in Semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2",

abstract = "Superconductivity in the iron pnictides emerges from metallic parent compounds exhibiting intertwined stripe-type magnetic order and nematic order, with itinerant electrons suggested to be essential for both. Here we use x-ray and neutron scattering to show that a similar intertwined state is realized in semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 (K5Fe4Ag6Te10) without itinerant electrons. We find that Fe atoms in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 form isolated 2×2 blocks, separated by nonmagnetic Ag atoms. Long-range magnetic order sets in below TN≈35 K, with magnetic moments within the 2×2 Fe blocks ordering into the stripe-type configuration. A nematic order accompanies the magnetic transition, manifest as a structural distortion that breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the lattice. The nematic orders in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 and iron pnictide parent compounds are similar in magnitude and in how they relate to the magnetic order, indicating a common origin. Since KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 is a semiconductor without itinerant electrons, this indicates that local-moment magnetic interactions are integral to its magnetic and nematic orders, and such interactions may play a key role in iron-based superconductivity.",

author = "Yu Song and Huibo Cao and Chakoumakos, {B. C.} and Yang Zhao and Aifeng Wang and Hechang Lei and C. Petrovic and Birgeneau, {Robert J.}",

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N2 - Superconductivity in the iron pnictides emerges from metallic parent compounds exhibiting intertwined stripe-type magnetic order and nematic order, with itinerant electrons suggested to be essential for both. Here we use x-ray and neutron scattering to show that a similar intertwined state is realized in semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 (K5Fe4Ag6Te10) without itinerant electrons. We find that Fe atoms in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 form isolated 2×2 blocks, separated by nonmagnetic Ag atoms. Long-range magnetic order sets in below TN≈35 K, with magnetic moments within the 2×2 Fe blocks ordering into the stripe-type configuration. A nematic order accompanies the magnetic transition, manifest as a structural distortion that breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the lattice. The nematic orders in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 and iron pnictide parent compounds are similar in magnitude and in how they relate to the magnetic order, indicating a common origin. Since KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 is a semiconductor without itinerant electrons, this indicates that local-moment magnetic interactions are integral to its magnetic and nematic orders, and such interactions may play a key role in iron-based superconductivity.

AB - Superconductivity in the iron pnictides emerges from metallic parent compounds exhibiting intertwined stripe-type magnetic order and nematic order, with itinerant electrons suggested to be essential for both. Here we use x-ray and neutron scattering to show that a similar intertwined state is realized in semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 (K5Fe4Ag6Te10) without itinerant electrons. We find that Fe atoms in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 form isolated 2×2 blocks, separated by nonmagnetic Ag atoms. Long-range magnetic order sets in below TN≈35 K, with magnetic moments within the 2×2 Fe blocks ordering into the stripe-type configuration. A nematic order accompanies the magnetic transition, manifest as a structural distortion that breaks the fourfold rotational symmetry of the lattice. The nematic orders in KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 and iron pnictide parent compounds are similar in magnitude and in how they relate to the magnetic order, indicating a common origin. Since KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2 is a semiconductor without itinerant electrons, this indicates that local-moment magnetic interactions are integral to its magnetic and nematic orders, and such interactions may play a key role in iron-based superconductivity.

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Intertwined Magnetic and Nematic Orders in Semiconducting KFe0.8Ag1.2Te2

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