Impurity effect as a probe for order parameter symmetry in iron-based superconductors

Abstract

The pointlike impurity scattering is studied for a superconductor with different pairing symmetries based on a minimal two band model proposed by S. Raghu $et$ $al.$ [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 77}, R220503 (2008)], and the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. Two intra-gap resonance peaks are found at or near the nonmagnetic impurity site for a typical $s_{x^2y^2}$ symmetry and strong scattering potentials. Such intra-gap resonance peaks are absent for the sign unchanged s-wave and $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave order parameter. Thus we propose that a non-magnetic impurity with strong scattering potentials can be used to probe the pairing symmetry in iron-based superconductors.