Raman scattering in iron-based superconductors

TL;DR

This review discusses how Raman scattering techniques have been used to study iron-based superconductors, providing insights into their pairing mechanisms and highlighting open research questions.

Contribution

It summarizes existing Raman experiments on iron-based superconductors and discusses their implications for understanding the pairing mechanism.

Findings

Raman scattering reveals primary excitations in iron-based superconductors.

Experimental results suggest specific coupling mechanisms in these materials.

Open issues in interpreting Raman data are identified.

Abstract

Iron-based superconducting layered compounds have the second highest transition temperature after cuprate superconductors. Their discovery is a milestone in the history of high-temperature superconductivity and will have profound implications for high-temperature superconducting mechanism as well as industrial applications. Raman scattering has been extensively applied to correlated electron systems including the new superconductors due to its unique ability to probe multiple primary excitations and their coupling. In this review, we will give a brief summary of the existing Raman experiments in the iron-based materials and their implication for pairing mechanism in particular. And we will also address some open issues from the experiments.