Elastocaloric evidence for a multicomponent superconductor stabilized within the nematic state in Ba(Fe_1-<i>x</i>Co_<i>x</i>)₂As₂.

Abstract

The iron-based high-[Formula: see text] superconductors (SCs) exhibit rich phase diagrams with intertwined phases, including magnetism, nematicity, and superconductivity. The superconducting [Formula: see text] in many of these materials is maximized in the regime of strong nematic fluctuations, making the role of nematicity in influencing the superconductivity a topic of intense research. Here, we use the AC elastocaloric effect (ECE) to map out the phase diagram of Ba(Fe_1-<i>x</i>Co_<i>x</i>)₂As₂ near optimal doping. The ECE signature at [Formula: see text] on the overdoped side, where superconductivity condenses without any nematic order, is quantitatively consistent with other thermodynamic probes that indicate a single-component superconducting state. In contrast, on the slightly underdoped side, where superconductivity condenses within the nematic phase, ECE reveals a second thermodynamic transition proximate to and below [Formula: see text]. We rule out magnetism and reentrant tetragonality as the origin of this transition and find that our observations strongly suggest a phase transition into a multicomponent superconducting state. This implies the existence of a subdominant pairing instability that competes strongly with the dominant [Formula: see text] instability. Our results highlight the significant role of nematic order in determining the pairing symmetry close to optimal doping in this extensively studied iron-based SC, while also demonstrating the power of ECE in uncovering strain-tuned phase diagrams of quantum materials.