Switching Magnetism and Superconductivity with Spin-Polarized Current in Iron-Based Superconductor

2017/07/31 by Seokhwan Choi, Hyoung Joon Choi, Jong Mok Ok +11 · 27 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Antiferromagnetism #Condensed matter physics #Corporate Taxation and Avoidance #Intellectual Capital and Performance Analysis #Iron-based superconductors research #Magnetism #Materials science #Physics #Quantum tunnelling #Scanning tunneling microscope #Scanning tunneling spectroscopy #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spin polarized scanning tunneling microscopy #Superconductivity #cond-mat.supr-con

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.119.227001

published in Physical Review Letters 119(22), 227001 (American Physical Society) · 33 pages, 16 figures

arxiv created 2017/09/14 · openalex publication_date 2017/11/27 · arxiv updated 2017/12/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06

Abstract

We explore a new mechanism for switching magnetism and superconductivity in a magnetically frustrated iron-based superconductor using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SPSTM). Our SPSTM study on single-crystal Sr₂VO₃FeAs shows that a spin-polarized tunneling current can switch the Fe-layer magnetism into a nontrivial C₄ (2×2) order, which cannot be achieved by thermal excitation with an unpolarized current. Our tunneling spectroscopy study shows that the induced C₄ (2×2) order has characteristics of plaquette antiferromagnetic order in the Fe layer and strongly suppresses superconductivity. Also, thermal agitation beyond the bulk Fe spin ordering temperature erases the C₄ state. These results suggest a new possibility of switching local superconductivity by changing the symmetry of magnetic order with spin-polarized and unpolarized tunneling currents in iron-based superconductors.

Citations

• Iron-based layered compound LaFeAsO is an antiferromagnetic semimetal
• Static magnetic order of Sr4A2O6Fe2As2(A=Sc and V) revealed by Mössbauer and muon spin relaxation spectroscopies
• The puzzle of high temperature superconductivity in layered iron pnictides and chalcogenides
• Competing orders and spin-density-wave instability in La(O 1−x F x )FeAs
• Magnetic ordering in blocking layer and highly anisotropic electronic structure of high-Tciron-based superconductorSr2VFeAsO3:LDA+Ustudy
• Superconductivity and spin-density waves in multiband metals
• Atomic-scale observation and manipulation of plaquette antiferromagnetic order in iron-based superconductor