NEUTRON AND SYNCHROTRON X-RAY-SCATTERING EXPERIMENTS ON ACTINIDES

The proximity of the 5f bands to E(F) in U, Np and Pu has the consequence that hybridization between the 5f and conduction electron states usually occurs in metallic compounds containing these elements. Neutron experiments with polarized neutrons have been successful in measuring the ratio of the orbital to spin moments at the actinide site in compounds such as UFe2, NpCo2 and PuFe2, and this is found to be a sensitive measure of the hybridization. Anisotropic effects are found in the hexagonal system URhAl. A new technique measuring magnetic X-ray scattering with the energy tuned to the M(IV) and M(V) resonances at a synchrotron source is particularly well adapted for studies of the actinides. Experiments on U and Np compounds are discussed.