Avoided valence transition in a plutonium superconductor

Ramshaw, B. J.; Shekhter, Arkady; McDonald, Ross D.; Betts, Jon B.; Mitchell, J. N.; Tobash, P. H.; Mielke, C. H.; Bauer, E. D.; Migliori, Albert

doi:10.1073/pnas.1421174112

Avoided valence transition in a plutonium superconductor

Journal Article · Tue Mar 03 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1421174112· OSTI ID:1385669

Ramshaw, B. J. ^[1]; Shekhter, Arkady ^[1]; McDonald, Ross D. ^[1]; Betts, Jon B. ^[1]; Mitchell, J. N. ^[2]; Tobash, P. H. ^[2]; Mielke, C. H. ^[1]; Bauer, E. D. ^[2]; Migliori, Albert ^[1]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States). National High Magnetic Field Lab. (MagLab)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

The d and f electrons in correlated metals are often neither fully localized around their host nuclei nor fully itinerant. This localized/itinerant duality underlies the correlated electronic states of the high-T_c cuprate superconductors and the heavy-fermion intermetallics and is nowhere more apparent than in the 5f valence electrons of plutonium. Here, we report the full set of symmetry-resolved elastic moduli of PuCoGa₅—the highest T_c superconductor of the heavy fermions (T_c = 18.5 K)—and find that the bulk modulus softens anomalously over a wide range in temperature above Tc. The elastic symmetry channel in which this softening occurs is characteristic of a valence instability—therefore, we identify the elastic softening with fluctuations of the plutonium 5f mixed-valence state. These valence fluctuations disappear when the superconducting gap opens at T_c, suggesting that electrons near the Fermi surface play an essential role in the mixed-valence physics of this system and that PuCoGa₅ avoids a valence transition by entering the superconducting state. The lack of magnetism in PuCoGa₅ has made it difficult to reconcile with most other heavy-fermion superconductors, where superconductivity is generally believed to be mediated by magnetic fluctuations. Our observations suggest that valence fluctuations play a critical role in the unusually high Tc of PuCoGa₅.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Materials Science of Actinides (MSA)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0001089

OSTI ID:: 1385669

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1210539

Journal Information:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 112; ISSN 0027-8424

Publisher:: National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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