On a dual model for 5f electrons

TL;DR

This paper investigates how intra-atomic correlations influence the anisotropy and localization of 5f electrons, providing a microscopic basis for partial electron localization in complex materials.

Contribution

It introduces a dual model for 5f electrons that explains the enhancement of anisotropies and localization effects due to intra-atomic correlations.

Findings

Intra-atomic correlations significantly enhance hopping anisotropies.

Some 5f electrons remain localized due to these anisotropies.

The model's phase diagrams show magnetic field effects on electron localization.

Abstract

We study the effect of intra-atomic correlations on anisotropies of hopping of 5f electrons. It is shown that they may considerably enhance these anisotropies to the extend that electrons in some of the 5f orbitals remain localized. This provide a microscopic basis for a previously made assumption that some of the 5f electrons must be partially localized when Fermi surfaces and effective masses of the component are calculated. Calculations are performed on two- and three-sites clusters. They include phase diagrams in the presence and absence of an external magnetic field as function of anisotropic hopping.