Nematic quantum criticality in an Fe-based superconductor revealed by strain-tuning

Abstract: Quantum criticality has been invoked as being essential to the understanding of a wide range of exotic electronic behavior, including heavy Fermion and unconventional superconductivity, but conclusive evidence of quantum critical fluctuations has been elusive in many materials of current interest. An expected characteristic feature of quantum criticality is power law behavior of thermodynamic quantities as a function of a non-thermal tuning parameter close to the quantum critical point (QCP). In the present work, we observe power law behavior of the critical temperature of the coupled nematic/structural phase transition as a function of uniaxial stress in a representative family of Fe-based superconductors. Our measurements provide direct evidence of quantum critical nematic fluctuations in this material. Furthermore, these quantum critical fluctuations are not confined within a narrow regime around the QCP, but extend over a wide range of temperatures and tuning parameters.