Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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TT: Fachverband Tiefe Temperaturen

TT 17: Superconductivity: Fe-based Superconductors - 122 Part 2 & Theory

TT 17.10: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 12:00–12:30, H 2053

Magnetism and Superconductivity: A new era of convergence in condensed matter physics — •Piers Coleman — Center for Materials Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey

Three years after the discovery of superfluid He-3 was discovered, Physicists first observed heavy fermion superconductivity, yet the open mind-set required to embrace these results as a discovery, rather than a materials artifact was lacking. It took the efforts of a brave and determined set of heavy electron pioneers, to overcome this resistance and change the mind-set.

Today, we are increasingly conscious of the convergence of magnetism and superconductivity in condensed matter physics, of the central role of spin as a driver for heavy electron metals and superconductors - not just as the glue of pairing - but as the basic fabric of these materials. Many of us suspect that the nexus of these phenomena lies at the quantum critical point that appears to present in heavy electron, cuprate and iron-based superconductors.

I'll talk about how our ideas about spins and their role in correlated electron physics are changing. I want to talk about the severe challenges the physicists face in trying to describe the incompressible spin component of these materials. I'll discuss the all-important links between f- and d-electron materials and some of the new kinds of order we are encountering, including a hidden and topological order.