Cornell University
Library
Cornell UniversityLibrary

eCommons

Help
Log In(current)
  1. Home
  2. Cornell University Graduate School
  3. Cornell Theses and Dissertations
  4. Discovery of Orbital Selective Cooper Pairing in FeSe

Discovery of Orbital Selective Cooper Pairing in FeSe

File(s)
Sprau_cornellgrad_0058F_10323.pdf (20.71 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://doi.org/10.7298/X4TB153Z
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/56771
Collections
Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Sprau, Peter Oliver
Abstract

FeSe is the focus of intense research interest because of its unusual non-magnetic nematic state and because it forms the basis for achieving the highest critical temperatures of any iron-based superconductor. However, its Cooper pairing mechanism has not been determined because an accurate knowledge of the momentum-space structure of superconducting energy gaps $\Delta_i(\vec{k})$ on the different electron-bands $E_i(\vec{k})$ does not exist. Here we use Bogoliubov quasiparticle interference (BQPI) imaging to determine the coherent Fermi surface geometry of the $\alpha$- and $\varepsilon$-bands surrounding the $\Gamma = (0, 0)$ and $X = (\pi / a_{Fe}, 0)$ points of FeSe, and to measure their superconducting energy gaps $\Delta_{\alpha}(\vec{k})$ and $\Delta_{\varepsilon}(\vec{k})$. We show directly that both gaps are extremely anisotropic but nodeless, and are aligned along orthogonal crystal axes. Moreover, by implementing a novel technique we demonstrate the sign change between $\Delta_{\alpha}(\vec{k})$ and $\Delta_{\varepsilon}(\vec{k})$. This complex configuration of $\Delta_{\alpha}(\vec{k})$ and $\Delta_{\varepsilon}(\vec{k})$, which was unanticipated within pairing theories for FeSe, reveals a unique form of superconductivity based on orbital selective Cooper pairing of electrons from the $d_{yz}$ orbitals of iron atoms. This new paradigm of orbital selectivity may be pivotal to understanding the microscopic interplay of quantum paramagnetism, nematicity and high temperature superconductivity.

Date Issued
2017-08-30
Keywords
superconductivity
•
Condensed matter physics
•
FeSe
•
orbital selectivity
•
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
•
strong correlations
Committee Chair
Davis, James C.
Committee Member
McEuen, Paul L.
Kim, Eun-Ah
Degree Discipline
Physics
Degree Name
Ph. D., Physics
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Type
dissertation or thesis

Site Statistics | Help

About eCommons | Policies | Terms of use | Contact Us

copyright © 2002-2026 Cornell University Library | Privacy | Web Accessibility Assistance