Possibility of vortex lattice structural phase transition in the superconducting pnictide Ba(Fe0.925Co0.075)(2)As-2

Abstract

We present magnetic measurements in a single crystal of the newly discovered superconducting ironpnictide Ba(Fe0.925Co0.075)(2)As-2. The magnetization loops exhibit a second magnetization peak (SMP) similar to that observed in most high-temperature superconductors (HTSs). Magnetic relaxation measurements reveal a minimum in the normalized relaxation rate, S = d ln M/d ln t, located in between the SMP onset and the peak fields. The SMP in HTSs is commonly associated with the vortex order-disorder phase transition. However, in Ba(Fe0.925Co0.075)(2)As-2 the onset and peak fields, as well as the minimum point in S, exhibit strong temperature dependence down to low temperatures, excluding the possibility for such a transition. We suggest that the SMP in Ba(Fe0.925Co0.075)(2)As-2 is associated with a vortex structural phase transition from rhombic to square lattice taking place at field and temperatures corresponding to the minimum point of S. A theoretical fit to the transition line, based on a recent theoretical model for vortex structural phase transition, shows good agreement with the experimental results.