Valence Instabilities as a Possible Source of Actinide System Inconsistencies

摘要

The presence of a mixed-valence state in light actinides appears evident from the crystal structures of certain U, Np, and Pu phases. As supporting evidence, the physical property response of these actinide elements (and some of their alloys) is compared with that of rare-earth metallic compounds known to have an unstable valence. Impurities may stabilize an intermediate (different) valence state locally in rare-earth compounds in the presence of the valence state of the bulk phase. Impurity elements from different periodic table groupings may likewise stabilize different intermediate valence states in light actinide elements, thus contributing to inconsistencies in results reported by different experimentalists. Any model (theory) advanced for explaining the physical property behavior of U, Np, and Pu may also require consideration of a configurational limit. A phenomenological connection could exist between a martensitic transformation and the fluctuation temperature in both rare earth and actinide systems. (ERA citation 04:053518)