Superconductivity, antiferromagnetism, and neutron scattering

High-temperature superconductivity in both the copper-oxide and the iron–pnictide/chalcogenide systems occurs in close proximity to antiferromagnetically ordered states. Neutron scattering has been an essential technique for characterizing the spin correlations in the antiferromagnetic phases and for demonstrating how the spin fluctuations persist in the superconductors. While the nature of the spin correlations in the superconductors remains controversial, the neutron scattering measurements of magnetic excitations over broad ranges of energy and momentum transfers provide important constraints on the theoretical options. We present an overview of the neutron scattering work on high-temperature superconductors and discuss some of the outstanding issues. •High-temperature superconductivity is closely associated with antiferromagnetism.•Antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations coexist with the superconductivity.•Neutron scattering is essential for characterising the full spectrum of spin excitations.