Experimental Benchmarking of Pu Electronic Structure

摘要

The standard method to determine the band structure of a condensed phase material is to (1) obtain a single crystal with a well defined surface and (2) map the bands with angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (occupied or valence bands) and inverse photoelectron spectroscopy (unoccupied or conduction bands). Unfortunately, in the case of Pu, the single crystals of Pu are either nonexistent, very small and/or having poorly defined surfaces. Furthermore, effects such as electron correlation and a large spin-orbit splitting in the 5f states have further complicated the situation. Thus, we have embarked upon the utilization of unorthodox electron spectroscopies, to circumvent the problems caused by the absence of large single crystals of Pu with well-defined surfaces. Our approach includes the techniques of resonant photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, Fano Effect measurements, and Bremstrahlung Isochromat Spectroscopy, including the utilization of micro-focused beams to probe single-crystallite regions of polycrystalline Pu samples.