  We introduce the thematic (open access) issue published in Comptes Rendus
Physique. This issue is focused on the so-called Fe-based superconductors that,
since the discovery of superconductivity in F-doped LaFeAsO by Hosono group in
2008, have become one of the latest hot topics in the field of condensed
matter. The idea is to give an up-to-date overview of the fundamental
properties of this novel family of high-Tc superconductors. First we briefly
recall the scientific context of superconductivity and its relationship to
magnetism in metallic compounds, and then we detail the specific aspects of
Fe-based superconductors addressed in the issue.
