Spontaneous formation of a superconducting and antiferromagnetic hybrid state in SrFe2As2 under high pressure

Abstract

We report a novel superconducting (SC) and antiferromagnetic (AF) hybrid state in SrFe2As2 revealed by 75As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments on a single crystal under highly hydrostatic pressure up to 7 GPa. The NMR spectra at 5.4 GPa indicate simultaneous development of the SC and AF orders below 30 K. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate in the SC domains shows a substantial residual density of states, suggesting proximity effects due to spontaneous formation of a nano-scale SC/AF hybrid structure. This entangled behavior is a remarkable example of a self-organized heterogeneous structure in a clean system.

5 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett