• The application process will start September 15, 2010
• For more information go to Aspen Center for Physics
• Questions? Please contact aspen2011@physics.ucla.edu

The aim of this workshop is to explore and understand the physics of recently discovered Fe-based high-temperature superconductors and contrast and compare them with the cuprates. The superconductivity in iron pnictides, with transition temperatures in excess of 55 K, was discovered in early 2008.

• On the one hand, the complexity of pnictides seems to surpass that of cuprates. They involve multi-orbital physics and correlation effects of a distinct variety.  The roles of frustration and magnetoelastic interactions have been emphasized and are hotly discussed. On the other hand they share some of the salient features of cuprates, namely the role of magnetism, competing orders leading to a complex phase diagram, and perhaps an unconventional pairing symmetry. It is clear that pnictides should not be discussed in isolation, as the tremendous theoretical and experimental developments in the area of cuprates over the last two decades form a valuable resource. Pnictides have also rekindled a belief that broad practical applications of  high temperature superconductivity is a viable goal. Some of these materials are three-dimensional, which makes them much better suited for practical applications.  It is also a hint that the cuprates are not unique unconventional high temperature superconductors and that more fascinating discoveries may be on the way.

• At the same time the cuprate physics has seen some spectacular recent developments. A clear differentiation in the momentum space (often referred to as nodal-antinodal dichotomy) has been observed in angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy, scanning tunneling measurements, and other spectroscopic tools. The nature of the quantum criticality is at the verge of undergoing a radical change involving a departure from the traditional picture of quantum critical cone that requires extensive debate. A fundamentally new set of quantum oscillation experiments in extreme magnetic fields have ushered in a new era that may require a radical rethinking of our ideas regarding Fermi liquids, density waves, and Mott physics. It is therefore expected that there would be synergistic interaction between the two sets of unconventional high temperature superconductors.