Eur. Phys. J. B (2014) 87: 163
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2014-50198-9

Regular Article

Emergent nesting of the Fermi surface from local-moment description of iron-pnictide high-T_c superconductors

¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
² Departamento de Física, Universidade de Évora, 7000-671 Évora, Portugal
³ CFIF, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal

^a e-mail: jrodrig@calstatela.edu

Received: 24 March 2014
Received in final form: 28 May 2014
Published online: 28 July 2014

Abstract

We uncover the low-energy spectrum of a t-J model for electrons on a square lattice of spin-1 iron atoms with 3d_xz and 3d_yz orbital character by applying Schwinger-boson-slave-fermion mean-field theory and by exact diagonalization of one hole roaming over a 4 × 4 × 2 lattice. Hopping matrix elements are set to produce hole bands centered at zero two-dimensional (2D) momentum in the free-electron limit. Holes can propagate coherently in the t-J model below a threshold Hund coupling when long-range antiferromagnetic order across the d + = 3d_{(x + iy)z} and d − = 3d_{(x − iy)z} orbitals is established by magnetic frustration that is off-diagonal in the orbital indices. This leads to two hole-pocket Fermi surfaces centered at zero 2D momentum. Proximity to a commensurate spin-density wave (cSDW) that exists above the threshold Hund coupling results in emergent Fermi surface pockets about cSDW momenta at a quantum critical point (QCP). This motivates the introduction of a new Gutzwiller wavefunction for a cSDW metal state. Study of the spin-fluctuation spectrum at cSDW momenta indicates that the dispersion of the nested band of one-particle states that emerges is electron-type. Increasing Hund coupling past the QCP can push the hole-pocket Fermi surfaces centered at zero 2D momentum below the Fermi energy level, in agreement with recent determinations of the electronic structure of mono-layer iron-selenide superconductors.