Superconductivity in FeSe Thin Films Driven by the Interplay between Nematic Fluctuations and Spin-Orbit Coupling.

Abstract

The origin of the high-temperature superconducting state observed in FeSe thin films, whose phase diagram displays no sign of magnetic order, remains a hotly debated topic. Here we investigate whether fluctuations arising due to the proximity to a nematic phase, which is observed in the phase diagram of this material, can promote superconductivity. We find that nematic fluctuations alone promote a highly degenerate pairing state, in which both s-wave and d-wave symmetries are equally favored, and T_{c} is consequently suppressed. However, the presence of a sizable spin-orbit coupling or inversion symmetry breaking at the film interface lifts this harmful degeneracy and selects the s-wave state, in agreement with recent experimental proposals. The resulting gap function displays a weak anisotropy, which agrees with experiments in monolayer FeSe and intercalated Li_{1-x}(OH)_{x}FeSe.