Nematic transition and nanoscale suppression of superconductivity in an iron chalcogenide

Examining an iron chalcogenide high-temperature superconductor, an international team of researchers has found that just before the material fully enters the nematic state, electronic nematicity first appears in nanoscale patches on its surface. In addition, minute stretching of the material, or strain, can induce local nematicity, which in turn suppresses superconductivity, according to a report in Nature Physics.