| Electronic phase separation in the slightly underdoped iron pnictide superconductor Ba1-xKxFe₂As₂ (2009) | |||||||
Abstract | |||||||
| Here we present a combined study of the slightly underdoped novel pnictide superconductor Ba1-xKxFe₂As₂ by means of x-ray powder diffraction, neutron scattering, muon-spin rotation (µSR), and magnetic force microscopy (MFM). Static antiferromagnetic order sets in below Tm≈70 K as inferred from the neutron scattering and zero-field-µSR data. Transverse-field µSR below Tc shows a coexistence of magnetically ordered and nonmagnetic states, which is also confirmed by MFM imaging. We explain such coexistence by electronic phase separation into antiferromagnetic and superconducting- or normal-state regions on a lateral scale of several tens of nanometers. Our findings indicate that such mesoscopic phase separation can be considered an intrinsic property of some iron pnictide superconductors. | |||||||
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