Authors: A Ricci N Poccia B Joseph G Campi A Bianconi
Publish Date: 2012/03/28
Volume: 25, Issue: 5, Pages: 1383-1387
Abstract
A new family of high temperature superconductors the heavily electron doped ironselenides like K08Fe16Se2 has been attracting high interest since they show both 30 K superconductivity with missing hole pockets questioning the s± pairing model and unusually high magnetic moments The hot debate is between coexistence versus phase separation and on the possible divergence of surface from bulk structure Here we provide direct evidence for a nanoscale phase separation in a single crystal of K08Fe16Se2 where a first magnetic phase with superlattice modulation sqrt5timessqrt5 coexists with a second nonmagnetic phase with a second superlattice modulation sqrt2 timessqrt2 below 520 K using transmission Xray diffraction The mapping of the spatial distribution of the two phases is measured by scanning Xray nanodiffraction using a 300×300 nm2 Xray spot The complex spatial phase separation clarifies the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism in the same sampleWe thank M Colapietro the Elettra XRD beamline staff in Trieste and the ESRF XRD 13 beamline staff in Grenoble for experimental help This experimental work has been carried out with the financial support of Sapienza University of Rome research project “Stripes and HighT c Superconductivity”
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