Understanding the complex phase diagram of uranium: the role of electron-phonon coupling

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.136401
PMID: 22026877

Authors: S. Raymond (SPSMS, UMR-E 9001, CEA-INAC/UJF-Grenoble 1) , J. Bouchet (CEA, DAM, DIF, F-91297 Arpajon) , G. H. Lander (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements) , M. Le Tacon (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) , G. Garbarino (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) , M. Hoesch (Diamond Light Source) , J. P. Rueff (Synchrotron SOLEIL; CNRS-UMR 7614, UPMC) , M. Krisch (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) , J. C. Lashley (Los Alamos National Laboratory) , R. K. Schulze (Los Alamos National Laboratory) , R. C. Albers (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Physical Review Letters , VOL 107 (13) , PAGES 136401

State: Published (Approved)
Published: September 2011

Abstract: We report an experimental determination of the dispersion of the soft phonon mode along [100] in uranium as a function of pressure. The energies of these phonons increase rapidly, with conventional behavior found by 20 GPa, as predicted by recent theory. New calculations demonstrate the strong pressure (and momentum) dependence of the electron-phonon coupling, whereas the Fermi-surface nesting is surprisingly independent of pressure. This allows a full understanding of the complex phase diagram of uranium and the interplay between the charge-density wave and superconductivity.

Subject Areas: Physics, Materials

Facility: ID28 at ESRF

Added On: 10/12/2014 21:46

Discipline Tags:

Superconductors Quantum Materials Physics Hard condensed matter - structures Materials Science

Technical Tags: