Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering study of charge excitations in superconducting and nonsuperconducting PrFeAsO

Jarrige, I.*; Nomura, Takuji; Ishii, Kenji; Gretarsson, H.*; Kim, Y.-J.*; Kim, J.*; Upton, M.*; Casa, D.*; Gog, T.*; Ishikado, Motoyuki*; Fukuda, Tatsuo  ; Yoshida, Masahiro*; Hill, J. P.*; Liu, X.*; Hiraoka, Nozomu*; Tsuei, K. D.*; Shamoto, Shinichi  

We report the first observation by momentum-resolved resonant inelastic X-ray scattering of charge excitations in an iron-based superconductor and its parent compound, PrFeAsO and PrFeAsO respectively, with two main results. First, using calculations based on a 16 band model, we show that the energy of the lowest-lying excitations, identified as interband transitions of dominant , orbital character, exhibits a dramatic dependence on electron correlation. This enables us to estimate the Coulomb repulsion and Hund's coupling , and to highlight the role played by in these peculiar orbital-dependent electron correlation effects. Second, we show that short-range antiferromagnetic correlations, which are a prerequisite to the occurrence of these excitations at the point, are still present in the superconducting state.