Competing orders and spin-density-wave instability in La(O 1−x F x )FeAs

The interplay between different ordered phases, such as superconducting, charge or spin ordered phases, is of central interest in condensed-matter physics. The very recent discovery of superconductivity with a remarkable T c=26 K in Fe-based oxypnictide La(O1-xFx)FeAs (see Kamihara Y. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130 (2008) 3296) is a surprise to the scientific community and has generated tremendous interest. The pure LaOFeAs itself is not superconducting but shows an anomaly near 150 K in both resistivity and dc magnetic susceptibility. Here we provide combined experimental and theoretical evidences showing that a spin-density-wave (SDW) state develops at low temperature, in association with electron Nematic…