Unexpected, enhanced magnetism discovered in uranium monolayer alloy
Actinide materials study advances quantum science
Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists and collaborators have stripped a magnetic material called beta-uranium tritelluride (β-UTe3) down to a single thin layer, a step toward a platform for controlling quantum phases and creating microscopic models of strongly correlated materials.
As the material was thinned, they were surprised to see a doubling of its magnetic ordering temperature, whereas in almost all other thinned materials the ordering temperature is suppressed. This mysterious result was published in the journal Science Advances.
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Why this matters: Two-dimensional materials have unleashed a new era in quantum science research, and this is the first example of a 5f correlated material that can be exfoliated to the monolayer limit. This new discovery establishes β-UTe3 as a novel materials platform for investigating and modeling correlated behavior in the monolayer limit, opening avenues for quantum control and providing new insights into the electronic behavior of actinides in general.
What they know so far: Based on heat capacity measurements, they know the f-electrons are playing a role in the low-energy electronic structure of this material.
Funding: The U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering; the Los Alamos Laboratory Directed Research and Development program; and the Lab’s Glenn T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science. Microscopy measurements were supported by the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science user facility.
LA-UR-26-25205
