| The discovery of a new family of iron-based high temperature superconductors has been heralded as a breakthrough. Within only months, critical temperatures have shot up to almost 60 K. The excitement and activity across the global solid state physics community surpasses even that seen at the advent of graphene. Like other unconventional superconductors, these iron pnictides seem torn between magnetism and superconductivity. There are no established rules governing how these two quantum states of matter interact or mutate into one another as, for example, the electronic density is varied via doping. The interplay between the two may well be the key to unraveling the secrets of high Tc superconductivity in all its guises. Through my research into the optical properties of cuprates, I am expert in the field of high temperature superconductivity, and will exploit this initiating a new research line at the UvA. This program will determine fundamental properties of the iron pnictides through a unique combination of spectroscopies. My own experiments will centre on optical and photoemission experiments, and I will also make use of results from several other experiments in the host group (STM, electron spectroscopy, muon techniques and transport). The unique point of this program is that this approach enables simultaneous and quantitative analysis of all the data ? from the same excellent single crystals - within a single, flexible theoretical framework. To enable this jump in the theoretical analysis of the data, I will continue existing, and kick-start new collaborations with leading theoretical groups in Europe and the US. This program offers the win-win prospect of understanding the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity in the iron pnictides, as well as the provision of a powerful test-bed for any aspiring theory of superconductivity in these remarkable materials, as well as for developing new superconducting materials in the future. |
