Pressure induced lattice anomalies in pnictides

• Phonon anomalies detected with hydrostatic pressure in NdFeAsO1−xFy compounds.
• Similar lattice anomalies are discovered by high pressure synchrotron XRD.
• Results agree with similar findings in SmFeAsO1−xFx.
• Indications for sudden increase in disorder in the oxypnictides at critical doping.

Hydrostatic pressure Raman and synchrotron XRD measurements at room temperature have been carried out on a series of NdFeAsO1−xFy (Nd1111) oxypnictides in order to investigate pressure-induced lattice modifications. The synchrotron XRD data indicate that there is an increased deviation of the lattice constants from smooth pressure dependence in the superconducting compound, in close agreement with the results from SmFeAsO1−xFx (Sm1111), although the effect is less pronounced in Nd1111. As in Sm1111 the hydrostatic pressure Raman measurements show that the A1g mode of the rare earth atom deviates from the linear pressure dependence. Anomalous pressure dependence and a hysteresis is observed in the phonon width of the phonon modes. The calculated Grüneisen parameter for the Nd phonon is very similar to the corresponding value for SmFeAsO1−xFx compound and it does not vary with substitution. For the As mode it has a lower value indicating a stiffer phonon with the increased ion size. In connection with the XRD measurements the Raman data show a sudden increase of the pressure-induced lattice anomalies close to doping where the compounds become superconducting.