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Title: Iron pnictides and chalcogenides: a new paradigm for superconductivity

Journal Article · · Nature (London)
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5];  [6]
  1. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States); University of Minnesota
  2. Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom)
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China); Univ. of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)
  4. Stanford Univ., CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
  5. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
  6. Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States); Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)

Superconductivity is a remarkably widespread phenomenon observed in most metals cooled down to very low temperatures. The ubiquity of such conventional superconductors, and the wide range of associated critical temperatures, is readily understood in terms of the celebrated Bardeen Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory. Occasionally, however, unconventional superconductors are found, such as the iron-based materials, which extend and defy this understanding in new and unexpected ways. In the case of the iron-based superconductors, this includes a new appreciation of the ways in which the presence of multiple atomic orbitals can manifest in unconventional superconductivity, giving rise to a rich landscape of gap structures that share the same dominant pairing mechanism. Besides superconductivity, these materials have also led to new insights into the unusual metallic state governed by the Hund’s interaction, the control and mechanisms of electronic nematicity, the impact of magnetic fluctuations and quantum criticality, and the significance of topology in correlated states. Furthermore, over the thirteen years since their discovery, they have proven to be an incredibly fruitful testing ground for the development of new experimental tools and theoretical approaches, both of which have extensively influenced the wider field of quantum materials.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; National Science Foundation (NSF); National Natural Science Foundation of China; Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0020045; AC02-76SF00515; FG02-05ER46236
OSTI ID:
1961321
Journal Information:
Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London) Journal Issue: 7891 Vol. 601; ISSN 0028-0836
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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