title: The valence-fluctuating ground state of plutonium.
abstract: A central issue in material science is to obtain understanding of the electronic correlations that control complex materials. Such electronic correlations frequently arise because of the competition of localized and itinerant electronic degrees of freedom. Although the respective limits of well-localized or entirely itinerant ground states are well understood, the intermediate regime that controls the functional properties of complex materials continues to challenge theoretical understanding. We have used neutron spectroscopy to investigate plutonium, which is a prototypical material at the brink between bonding and nonbonding configurations. Our study reveals that the ground state of plutonium is governed by valence fluctuations, that is, a quantum mechanical superposition of localized and itinerant electronic configurations as recently predicted by dynamical mean field theory. Our results not only resolve the long-standing controversy between experiment and theory on plutonium's magnetism but also suggest an improved understanding of the effects of such electronic dichotomy in complex materials.
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janoschek
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Pinaki
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Condensed Matter Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019, USA.
authors.forename: Bismayan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6475, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Abernathy
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6475, USA.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lumsden
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Joe D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerard H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lander
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremy N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trouw
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Jian-Xin
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Condensed Matter Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019, USA.
authors.forename: Kristjan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haule
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy and Center for Condensed Matter Theory, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kotliar
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Bauer
keywords: Dynamical mean field theory; Kondo physics; Plutonium; electronic ground state; material science; neutron spectroscopy; strongly correlated electron physics; valence fluctuations