Structural and electronic properties of LaFeAsO$_{0.85}$F$_{0.15}$ superconductor modified under neutron irradiation

Abstract

The effect of atomic disorder induced by neutron irradiation on the crystal structure and electronic states near $E_F$ of the lightly overdoped LaFeAsO$_{0.85}$F$_{0.15}$ ($T_c=21K$) was studied by X-ray diffraction and $^{75}$As NMR. The irradiation of the polycrystalline sample by "moderate" neutron fluence of $\Phi=(0;0.5;1.6)\cdot10^{19}cm^{-2}$ at $T=50^{\circ}C$ leads to the suppression of superconductivity. It is shown that neutron irradiation produces an anisotropic expansion of the tetragonal lattice almost due to an increase of the Fe-As distance. A partial loss of the 2D character of the FeAs layer is accompanied with a suppression of the gap-like feature in temperature dependence of the spin susceptibility. In the most disordered state the $^{75}$As spin-lattice relaxation rate follows the Korringa law $^{75}T_1^{-1} \sim T$, the thermal behavior being typical for an isotropic motion of the conducting electrons.