Stabilization of the 5f Energy Band in Actinide-Rh[sub 3] Intermetallic Compounds

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Abstract
The magnetic susceptibilities and electrical resistivities of ThRh 3 , URh 3 , NpRh 3 , and PuRh 3 have been measured from 2–300°K. These compounds have the cubic AuCu 3 ‐type structure with a total lattice parameter variation of only 0.5% for the latter three compounds. These materials are metallic and have room‐temperature resistivities of about 50 μΩ‐cm. The susceptibility of ThRh 3 is temperature‐independent. The URh 3 susceptibility decreases weakly with temperature. The susceptibility of NpRh 3 has a large 0°K‐value of 5.5 × 10 −6 emu/g , decreases as −T2 up to 125°K, and then fits a Curie‐Weiss law with p eff = 3.63 μ B / NpRh 3 and θ =−483° K . PuRh 3 is antiferromagnetic below T N = 6.6° K . The resistivities of ThRh 3 , URh 3 , and NpRh 3 increase from their residual values as ρ = ρ o + AT n , where n = 5, 3, and 2 , respectively. The PuRh 3 resistivity follows ρ = ρ o + AT above TN. The data are interpreted by a model in which the 5f level is above the Fermi energy in ThRh 3 , a broad, hybridized 6d‐5f band overlaps the Fermi level in URh 3 , NpRh 3 is nearly magnetic with a spin fluctuation temperature T S ≃ 5° K , and PuRh 3 is weakly magnetic with a moment of about 1 μB subject to spin fluctuations above TN.

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