Evidence of a universal and isotropic 2 Delta/k(B)T(C) ratio in 122-type iron pnictide superconductors over a wide doping range

Article

关键词: ANDREEV REFLECTION SPECTROSCOPY;    GAP;    BA0.6K0.4FE2AS2;    SYMMETRY;   

DOI  :  10.1103/PhysRevB.82.020515

来源: SCIE

【 摘 要 】

We have systematically investigated the doping and the directional dependence of the gap structure in the 122-type iron pnictide superconductors by point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy. The studies were performed on single crystals of Ba1-xKxFe2As2 (x=0.29, 0.49, and 0.77) and SrFe1.74Co0.26As2 with a sharp tip of Pb or Au pressed along the c-axis or the ab-plane direction. The conductance spectra obtained on highly transparent contacts clearly show evidence of a robust superconducting gap. The normalized curves can be well described by the Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model with a lifetime broadening. The determined gap value scales very well with the transition temperature, giving the 2 Delta/k(B)T(C) value of similar to 3.1. The results suggest the presence of a universal coupling behavior in this class of iron pnictides over a broad doping range and independent of the sign of the doping. Moreover, conductance spectra obtained on c-axis junctions and ab-plane junctions indicate that the observed gap is isotropic in these superconductors.

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