Disorder-induced universality and scaling in hole-doped iron-based superconductors

Abstract Iron-based superconductors exhibit various magnetic and electronic phases that are highly sensitive to structural and chemical modifications. Elucidating the origins of these phases remains a central challenge. Here, using neutron and x-ray diffraction, we uncover a universal phase diagram...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Omar Chmaissem, Ryan Stadel, Keith M. Taddei, Daniel Bugaris, Dmitry D. Khalyavin, Pascal Manuel, Duck Young Chung, Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Raymond Osborn, Stephan Rosenkranz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:Communications Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-025-00843-x
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Summary:Abstract Iron-based superconductors exhibit various magnetic and electronic phases that are highly sensitive to structural and chemical modifications. Elucidating the origins of these phases remains a central challenge. Here, using neutron and x-ray diffraction, we uncover a universal phase diagram that identifies disorder as a hidden tuning parameter governing these phase transitions. By analyzing nine hole-doped phase diagrams, we observe the emergence of a double-Q tetragonal magnetic phase in proximity to ideal FeAs4 tetrahedral configurations, thereby demonstrating a strong link between bond-angle stabilization and magnetic transitions. Beyond stabilizing the double-Q phase, atomic disorder also influences charge doping and magnetic anisotropy. We further observe similar scaling behavior of the transition temperatures of the double-Q and the more prevalent orthorhombic single-Q magnetic phases, evidencing a unified origin of structural and magnetic properties linked to itinerant nesting instability. Our findings establish a comprehensive basis for understanding how chemical disorder, charge doping, and structural features collectively shape the magnetic and superconducting properties of iron-based superconductors.
ISSN:2662-4443