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Phys. Rev. B 79, 224510 (2009) [6 pages]

Origin of gap anisotropy in spin fluctuation models of the iron pnictides

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T. A. Maier*
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences and Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6494, USA

S. Graser
Center for Electronic Correlations and Magnetism, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg, Germany

D. J. Scalapino
Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9530, USA

P. J. Hirschfeld§
Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

Received 30 March 2009; revised 18 May 2009; published 10 June 2009

We discuss the large gap anisotropy found for the A1g (s wave) state in random-phase approximation spin fluctuation and functional renormalization-group calculations and show how the simple arguments leading to isotropic sign-switched s-wave states in these systems need to be supplemented by a consideration of pair scattering within Fermi-surface sheets and between the individual electron sheets as well. In addition, accounting for the orbital makeup of the states on the Fermi surface is found to be crucial.

© 2009 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.79.224510
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevB.79.224510
PACS:
74.20.Mn, 74.20.Rp

*maierta@ornl.gov

graser@phys.ufl.edu

djs@physics.ucsb.edu

§pjh@phys.ufl.edu