Pairing insights in iron-based superconductors from scanning tunneling microscopy

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in using scanning tunneling microscopy to study iron-based high-temperature superconductors, focusing on gap symmetry and pairing mechanisms, highlighting progress and ongoing challenges.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent STM studies on iron-based superconductors, emphasizing new insights into their pairing symmetry and mechanisms.

Findings

Identification of gap symmetry in iron-based superconductors

Insights into pairing mechanisms from spectroscopic data

Highlighting challenges in STM studies of these materials

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has made tremendous progress in the study and understanding of both classical and unconventional superconductors. This has motivated a rapidly growing effort to apply the same techniques to the iron-based high-Tc superconductors since their discovery in 2008. Five years have brought exciting advances in imaging and spectroscopic investigation of this new class of materials. In this review, we focus on several recent STM contributions to the identification of the gap symmetry and pairing glue. We highlight the unique capabilities and challenges still ahead for STM studies of iron-based superconductors.