Magnetic interactions of fundamental importance for iron-based high-temperature superconductors
(Phys.org)—For a long time, scientists and engineers have longed for a material that would conduct electricity at room temperature without any losses. More than 25 years ago scientists first discovered materials that were superconducting at relatively high temperatures: the cuprate-superconductors (copper-based superconductors). Iron-based high-temperature superconductors – a new class of materials discovered only a few years ago – also have this property. Together with Chinese and German collaborators, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen (Switzerland) have now gained new insights into these superconductors. The experimental results indicate that magnetic interactions are of fundamental importance in the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity. This knowledge could contribute to the development of superconductors with improved technical properties in the future.