Related papers: The Taming of Plutonium: Pu Metallurgy and the Man…
We present the results from the first measurements of the Time-Correlated Pulse-Height (TCPH) distributions from 4.5 kg sphere of $\alpha$-phase weapons-grade plutonium metal in five configurations: bare, reflected by 1.27 cm and 2.54 cm of…
The thermodynamic stabilities of various phases of the nitrides of the platinum metal elements are systematically studied using density functional theory. It is shown that for the nitrides of Rh, Pd, Ir and Pt two new crystal structures, in…
The primary distinction between solid and liquid phases is mechanical rigidity, with liquids having a disordered atomic structure that allows flow. While melting is a common phase transition, its microscopic mechanisms still remain unclear.…
As titanium is a highly utilized metal for structural light-weighting, its phases, transformation pathways (transition states), and structures have scientific and industrial importance. Impurities, pressure, and temperature control the…
The Debye-Waller factor has been calculated for stabilized delta-phase plutonium with 5% aluminum. A quasi-harmonic Born-von Karman force model with temperature dependent phonon frequencies was used to calculate the mean-square thermal…
A series of electronic and structural transitions are predicted in molten lithium from first principles. A new phase with tetrahedral local order characteristic of $sp^3$ bonded materials and poor electrical conductivity is found at…
A personal account of work on the Manhattan Project in Chicago by one of the few remaining survivors of the war-time project is given, illustrating, among other things, how absurd things can happen at a time of great stress and concern.. As…
We applied synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell at 48-51 GPa and first-principles theoretical calculations to study the crystal structure of solid atomic iodine at high pressure. We report the synthesis of…
The goal to describe plutonium phases from ``first principles'' calculation methods is complicated by the problem of 5f-electrons localization. While for early actinides (Th, U,Np) standard DFT (Density Functional Theory) description with…
We investigate the pressure-temperature ($p$-$T$) phase diagram of elemental lithium (Li) up to multiterapascal (TPa) pressures using ab-initio random structure search (AIRSS) and density functional theory (DFT). At zero temperature, beyond…
The actinide elemental metals are scare, often toxic and radio active, causing challenges for both experiments and theory while offering fascinating physics. For practical purposes they are the prevalent building blocks for materials where…
The physical properties of plutonium and plutonium-based intermetallic compounds are extremely sensitive to temperature, pressure, and chemical alloying. A celebrated example is the high-temperature $\delta$ phase plutonium, which can be…
Boron is an element of fascinating chemical complexity. Controversies have shrouded this element since its discovery was announced in 1808: the new 'element' turned out to be a compound containing less than 60-70 percent of boron, and it…
In this paper we propose a new pseudo-phase crystal structure, based on an orthorhombic distortion of the diamond structure, for the ground-state $\alpha$-phase of plutonium. Electronic-structure calculations in the generalized-gradient…
A Gaussian approximation machine learning interatomic potential for platinum is presented. It has been trained on DFT data computed for bulk, surfaces and nanostructured platinum, in particular nanoparticles. Across the range of tested…
The interplay between electron correlation and nuclear quantum effects makes our understanding of elemental hydrogen a formidable challenge. Here, we present the phase diagram of hydrogen and deuterium at low temperatures and high-pressure…
The behavior of metals at high pressure is of great importance to the fields of shock physics, geophysics, astrophysics, and nuclear materials. In order to further understand the properties of metals at high pressures we studied the…
Polar metals are an underexplored material class combining two properties that are typically incompatible, namely a polar crystal structure and reasonable electrical conductivity. These intriguing materials offer a unique combination of…
In comparison to 3d or 4f metals, magnetism in actinides remains poorly understood due to experimental complications and the exotic behavior of the 5f states. In particular, plutonium metal is most especially vexing. Over the last five…
This review traces the evolution of precision timing in particle physics experiments, from the first large-scale applications of scintillator and photomultiplier tube (PMT) systems in the 1990s to the picosecond-precision detectors of…