A novel electronic configuration of the 5f states in delta-plutonium as revealed by the photo-electron spectra

• We present a theoretical model, the mixed-level model, aiming at describing metals with very complex, strongly correlated, electronic structures. As a demonstration, it is applied to the electronic structure of delta-Pu. The model reproduces the electronic-structure related properties of this complex metal; in particular, the theory is capable of reproducing the valence band photoemission spectrum of delta-Pu. We also report new experimental photoemission spectra at several photon energies. Taken together, our results provide strong evidence that the electronic structure of delta-Pu involves a 5f shell with four electrons in a localized multiplet hybridizing with valence states, and approximately one 5f electron forming a completely delocalized band state.

Keyword

electronic structure

5f electrons

photoemission experiment

theory

pu

photoemission

localization

spectroscopy

picture

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)