Department of Physics
Condensed Matter Seminar

The iron pnictide superconductors have given condensed matter experimentalists and theorists a new system to explore the physics of magnetism and superconductivity (SC). Starting with the itinerant antiferromagnetic (AFM) parent compounds, electron or hole doping suppresses the magnetic transition and leads to the appearance of superconductivity. In doped systems, such as Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2, AFM and SC can actually coexist and compete with each other within a narrow compositional range at the onset of SC. We present detailed neutron and x-ray scattering studies of the static magnetic order and spin excitations in this system. The unprecedented tunability of this system has allowed us learn a great deal about the interplay of AFM and SC.