Retention of the tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition in F-substituted SmFeAsO: a new phase diagram for SmFeAs(O(1-x)F(x))

Abstract

In this Letter we propose a new phase diagram for the SmFeAs(O(1-x)F(x)) system, based on careful analysis of synchrotron powder diffraction data, SQUID, and muon spin rotation measurements. The tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition is slightly affected by F content and is retained for the superconducting samples, even at optimal doping. These findings relate the AFM transition on a different ground with respect to the structural one and suggests that orbital ordering could be the driving force for symmetry breaking.