Elastic properties of Pu metal and Pu-Ga alloys

We present elastic properties, theoretical and experimental, of Pu metal and Pu-Ga (δ) alloys together with ab initio equilibrium equation of state for these systems. For the theoretical treatment we employ density-functional theory in conjunction with spin-orbit coupling and orbital polarization for the metal and coherent-potential approximation for the alloys. Pu and Pu-Ga alloys are also investigated experimentally using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy. We show that orbital correlations become more important proceeding from α→β→γ plutonium, thus suggesting increasing f-electron correlation and a corresponding softening of the elastic moduli. For the δ-Pu-Ga alloys we find a softening with larger Ga content, i.e., atomic volume, bulk modulus, and elastic constants imply a weakened chemical bonding with addition of Ga. Our measurements confirm qualitatively the theory but uncertainties remain when comparing the model with experiments.