Issue |
EPL
Volume 82, Number 5, June 2008
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 57007 | |
Number of page(s) | 6 | |
Section | Condensed Matter: Electronic Structure, Electrical, Magnetic and Optical Properties | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/82/57007 | |
Published online | 27 May 2008 |
Pressure-induced americium valence fluctuations revealed by electrical resistivity
1
Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic, EU
2
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements - Postfach 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany, EU
3
Institute of Physics ASCR - Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Prague 8, Czech Republic, EU
4
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, CEA – Centre de Valduc - F-21120 Is-sur-Tille, France, EU
Corresponding author: havela@mag.mff.cuni.cz
Received:
6
February
2008
Accepted:
11
April
2008
Electrical resistivity of americium-plutonium fcc alloys was studied over a series of high-pressureinduced structural phase transitions accompanied by a volume collapse. The temperature dependence of resistivity flattens progressively in the high-pressure phases pointing to the presence of random strong scatterers at the Fermi energy. A theoretical analysis shows that this development is not related to the expected simple delocalization of Am
states. Instead it points to pressure-induced americium valence fluctuations (
-
), which provides a new microscopic basis for the understanding of transuranium materials on the verge of localization of the
electronic states.
PACS: 75.30.Mb – Valence fluctuation, Kondo lattice, and heavy-fermion phenomena / 74.62.Fj – Pressure effects / 74.25.Fy – Transport properties (electric and thermal conductivity, thermoelectric effects, etc.)
© EPLA, 2008
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