Direct observation of local potassium variation and its correlation to electronic inhomogeneity in (Ba_1-xK_x)Fe₂As ₂ pnictide

Local fluctuations in the distribution of dopant atoms are thought to cause the nanoscale electronic disorder or phase separation in pnictide superconductors. Atom probe tomography has enabled the first direct observations of dopant species clustering in a K-doped 122-phase pnictide. First-principles calculations suggest the coexistence of static magnetism and superconductivity on a lattice parameter length scale over a wide range of dopant concentrations. Our results provide evidence for a mixed scenario of phase coexistence and phase separation, depending on local dopant atom distributions.