Data: Hund’s coupling governed orbital-selective superconductivity in Ba1−xKxFe2As2
Abstract
Understanding how strong electronic correlations shape superconductivity remains a central challenge in quantum materials. In multiorbital systems, correlations driven by Hund’s coupling can differentiate the behavior of individual orbitals, producing the so-called Hund’s metal state. How such orbital-selectivity also governs superconducting pairing, however, has remained largely unexplored experimentally. Here we use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to systematically map the superconducting gap structure across the phase diagram of the representative iron-based superconductor Ba$_{1-x}$K$_{x}$Fe$_{2}$As$_{2}$. We find that superconductivity evolves in a strongly orbital-dependent manner: the gap associated with the $d_{xy}$ orbital collapses beyond optimal doping while pairing on the $d_{xz}$/$d_{yz}$ orbitals persists. This behavior mirrors the orbital-selective correlations observed in the normal state and reveals a direct connection between Hund’s metal physics and the superconducting pairing landscape. Our results demonstrate that superconducting gaps themselves can serve as a sensitive probe of orbital-dependent correlations and suggest that Hund’s coupling plays a central role in shaping pairing in multiorbital superconductors.
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Stanford Digital Repository
- Publication date
- 15 April 2026
- Document type
- Dataset