Dirty Peierls transitions in alpha-Uranium

TL;DR

This paper challenges a recent model for alpha-Uranium's heat capacity, proposing instead that Peierls transitions influenced by disorder explain observed features in both single-crystal and polycrystalline samples.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Peierls transitions, rather than CDW collective modes, account for heat capacity features in alpha-Uranium, emphasizing the role of disorder.

Findings

Peierls transitions explain heat capacity features.

Disorder affects the Peierls transitions in polycrystalline samples.

The CDW collective mode model is unphysical for alpha-Uranium.

Abstract

We point out that a recent model for the heat capacity of alpha-U that invokes CDW collective modes is unphysical. We show instead that the features in the heat capacity of both single-crystal and polycrystalline alpha-U can be accounted for by a number of Peierls transitions that are subject to increased disorder in the polycrystalline sample.