  Within the Landau paradigm of continuous phase transitions, ordered states of
matter are characterized by a broken symmetry. Although the broken symmetry is
usually evident, determining the driving force behind the phase transition is
often a more subtle matter due to coupling between otherwise distinct order
parameters. In this paper we show how measurement of the divergent nematic
susceptibility of an iron pnictide superconductor unambiguously distinguishes
an electronic nematic phase transition from a simple ferroelastic distortion.
These measurements also reveal an electronic nematic quantum phase transition
at the composition with optimal superconducting transition temperature.
