Magnetic fluctuations and superconducting properties of CaKFe4As4 studied by 75As NMR

Abstract

We report $^{75}$As nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on a new iron-based superconductor CaKFe$_4$As$_4$ with $T_{\rm c}$ = 35 K. $^{75}$As NMR spectra show two distinct lines corresponding to the As(1) and As(2) sites close to the K and Ca layers, respectively, revealing that K and Ca layers are well ordered without site inversions. We found that nuclear quadrupole frequencies $\nu_{\rm Q}$ of the As(1) and As(2) sites show an opposite temperature ($T$) dependence. Nearly $T$ independent behavior of the Knight shifts $K$ are observed in the normal state, and a sudden decrease in $K$ in the superconducting (SC) state clearly evidences spin-singlet Cooper pairs. $^{75}$As spin-lattice relaxation rates 1/$T_1$ show a power law $T$ dependence with different exponents for the two As sites. The isotropic antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations characterized by the wavevector ${\bf q}$ = ($\pi$, 0) or (0, $\pi$) in the single-iron Brillouin zone notation are revealed by 1/$T_1T$ and $K$ measurements. Such magnetic fluctuations are necessary to explain the observed temperature dependence of the $^{75}$As quadrupole frequencies, as evidenced by our first-principles calculations. In the SC state, 1/$T_1$ shows a rapid decrease below $T_{\rm c}$ without a Hebel-Slichter peak and decreases exponentially at low $T$, consistent with an $s^{\pm}$ nodeless two-gap superconductor.