Hidden phase in parent Fe-pnictide superconductors

We investigate the origin of exoticity in Fe-based systems via studying the fermiology of CaFe₂As₂ employing angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. While the Fermi surfaces (FSs) at 200 K and 31 K are observed to exhibit two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) topology, respectively, the FSs at intermediate temperatures reveal the emergence of the 3D topology at a temperature much lower than the structural and magnetic phase transition temperature (170 K, for the sample under scrutiny). This leads to the conclusion that the evolution of FS topology is not directly driven by the structural transition. In addition, we discover the existence in ambient conditions of energy bands related to the cT phase. These bands are distinctly resolved in the high-photon energy spectra exhibiting strong Fe 3 d character. They gradually move to higher binding energies due to thermal compression with cooling, leading to the emergence of 3D topology in the Fermi surface. These results reveal the so-far hidden existence of a cT phase under ambient conditions, which is argued to lead to quantum fluctuations responsible for the exotic electronic properties in Fe-pnictide superconductors.