Iron-based superconductor

An iron-based superconductor is a material whose superconducting state occurs in an iron-containing compound, typically with iron and pnictogen or chalcogen layers.

Multiband superconductivity: Superconductivity in which multiple electronic bands contribute to the superconducting state. Several iron-based compounds have multiple Fermi-surface bands participating in superconductivity.
Iron pnictide: An iron-based compound containing a pnictogen, such as arsenic or phosphorus, in its structure. Pnictides form one of the two principal chemical families of iron-based superconductors.
Kamihara et al. 2008: The research team that reported superconductivity in fluorine-doped LaFeAsO in 2008. Their discovery established iron pnictides as a new high-temperature-superconductor family.
Upper critical field: The magnetic-field strength above which superconductivity is destroyed in a type-II superconductor. Some iron-based superconductors retain superconductivity under exceptionally strong magnetic fields.
Conventional superconductor: A superconductor whose electron pairing is explained by phonon-mediated Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory. Iron-based superconductors are generally classified as unconventional because their pairing is not established as conventional phonon-mediated pairing.
Spin-fluctuation-mediated superconductivity: A proposed pairing mechanism in which dynamic magnetic fluctuations help bind electrons into Cooper pairs. It can account for sign-changing superconducting gaps linked to magnetic fluctuations in iron-based materials.
Iron chalcogenide: An iron-based compound containing a chalcogen, such as selenium, tellurium, or sulfur. Chalcogenides form the other principal family and include structurally simple superconductors.
LaFeAsO: A layered lanthanum iron arsenide oxide that becomes superconducting when appropriately doped. Fluorine-doped LaFeAsO was the compound in the landmark 2008 report.
Critical temperature: The temperature below which a material enters its superconducting state. Comparing critical temperatures tracks how composition, pressure, and structure affect these compounds.
Heavy-fermion superconductor: A superconductor whose low-energy electrons behave as if they have unusually large effective masses. Heavy-fermion materials offer a distinct setting for unconventional pairing and magnetic competition.

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