Linkage between scattering rates and superconductivity in doped ferropnictides

We report an angle-resolved photoemission study of a series of hole- and electron-doped iron-based superconductors, their parent compound BaFe2As2, and their cousins BaCr2As2 and BaCo2As2. We focus on the inner hole pocket, which is the hot spot in these compounds. More specifically, we determine the energy (E)-dependent scattering rate Gamma(E) as a function of the 3d count. Moreover, for the compounds K0.4Ba0.6Fe2As2 and BaCr2As2, we derive the energy dependence of the renormalization function Z(E) and the imaginary part of the self-energy function Im Sigma(E). We obtain a non-Fermi liquidlike linear in energy scattering rate Gamma(E >> k(B)T ), independent of the dopant concentration. The main result is that the slope beta = Gamma(E >> k(B)T)/E reaches its maxima near optimal doping and scales with the superconducting transition temperature. This supports the spin fluctuation model for superconductivity for these materials. In the optimally hole-doped compound, the slope of the scattering rate of the inner hole pocket is about three times bigger than the Planckian limit Gamma(E)/E approximate to 1. This result, together with the energy dependence of the renormalization function Z(E), signals very incoherent charge carriers in the normal state which transform at low temperatures to a coherent unconventional superconducting state.

Automated summary

An angle-resolved photoemission study on a series of hole- and electron-doped iron-based superconductors was reported, focusing on the inner hole pocket and energy dependence. The results support the spin fluctuation model for superconductivity in these materials.