Critical spin fluctuations and the origin of nematic order in Ba(Fe1−xCox)2As2

Inelastic Raman scattering is used to probe the critical spin fluctuations in an iron pnictide superconductor, providing insights into the origin of nematic order in this system. Nematic fluctuations and order play a prominent role in material classes such as the cuprates 1 , some ruthenates 2 or the iron-based compounds 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and may be interrelated with superconductivity 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . In iron-based compounds 12 signatures of nematicity have been observed in a variety of experiments. However, the fundamental question as to the relevance of the related spin 13 , charge 9 , 14 or orbital 8 , 15 , 16 fluctuations remains open. Here, we use inelastic light (Raman) scattering and study Ba(Fe 1− x Co x ) 2 As 2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.085) for getting direct access to nematicity and the underlying critical fluctuations with finite characteristic wavelengths 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 . We show that the response from fluctuations appears only in B 1g ( x 2 − y 2 ) symmetry (1 Fe unit cell). The scattering amplitude increases towards the structural transition at T s but vanishes only below the magnetic ordering transition at T SDW < T s , suggesting a magnetic origin of the fluctuations. The theoretical analysis explains the selection rules and the temperature dependence of the fluctuation response. These results make magnetism the favourite candidate for driving the series of transitions.