https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510070156
Electric quadrupole interactions and the λ-α phase transition in Ce: the role of conduction electrons
Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, UIA, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
Received:
21
September
1999
Revised:
2
May
2000
Published online: 15 September 2000
We present a theoretical model of the "isostructural"
γ-α phase transition in Ce which is based on quadrupolar
interactions due to coupled charge density fluctuations
of 4f electrons and of conduction electrons.
The latter are treated in tight-binding approximation.
The γ-α transition is described as an orientational
ordering of quadrupolar electronic densities in a 
structure. The quadrupolar order of the conduction electron densities
is complementary to the quadrupolar order of 4f electron
densities. The inclusion of conduction electrons
leads to an increase of the lattice contraction
at the γ-α transition in comparison to the
sole effect of 4f electrons.
We calculate the Bragg scattering law and suggest synchrotron
radiation experiments in order
to check the structure.
PACS: 71.10.-w – Theories and models of many electron systems / 71.27.+a – Strongly correlated electron systems; heavy fermions / 71.45.-d – Collective effects
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2000
