Symposium Y: Actinides–Basic Science, Applications, and Technology

2012 MRS Spring Meeting logo

Actinides–Basic Science, Applications, and Technology

Actinide science is experiencing a renaissance with the emergence of exciting new topical areas, consistent with the importance of actinide materials in modern technological society.  Actinide materials have two faces. On one side, they are both technologically and scientifically important.  For instance, they form the backbone of technologies for the generation of electricity by nuclear power.  Also, from a purely scientific point of view, they exhibit fascinating, yet poorly understood, physical and chemical properties, due in large part to complexities such as f electron correlations.  On the other side, they are toxic and radioactive, thereby causing inevitable challenges such as the disposal of nuclear waste.  In fact, nuclear energy is a long-lasting and powerful energy source, as is demonstrated in nature throughout the universe and illustrated by the twinkling of stars at night.  However, since radioactive materials pose hazards for humans and the environment, they must be well understood to ensure their safe use.  Understanding actinide materials is not an easy task due to their complex electronic structures, which push the limits of current theoretical approaches, and due to the experimental restrictions caused by their toxicity and radioactivity.  Even so, great progress in understanding actinide materials is being made.

The aim of this symposium is to bring together those who are studying basic actinide science and those who are developing technological solutions to the challenges posed by actinide materials. The current theoretical and experimental developments and the technological issues of the actinides are each to be a part of the symposium.

Session topics will include:

  • Superconductivity and heavy fermions
  • NMR and neutron scattering
  • Novel spectroscopy
  • 5f-electron chemistry, new materials, and phases
  • New theory tools
  • Physical properties: transport and magnetism; surface properties and corrosion
  • Environmental effects
  • Radiation damage
  • Localization, delocalization, and dual nature
  • Fuels

Joint sessions with the following symposia are being considered: I: Recent Advances in Superconductors, Novel Compounds, and High-Tc Materials; and S: Design of Materials for Sustainable Nuclear Energy.

Invited speakers include (partial list):

P. Arnold (Univ. of Edinburgh, United Kingdom), J. Boncella (Los Alamos National Lab), Z. Fisk (Univ. of California, Irvine), J. Gibson (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab), S. Kambe (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Japan), J. R. Long (Univ. of California, Berkeley), M. Mazzanti (CEA Grenoble, France), C. Saw (Lawrence Livermore National Lab).

Symposium Organizers

Sung Woo Yu
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
L-367
Livermore, CA 94550
Tel 925-422-8782, Fax 925-423-0785
yu21@llnl.gov 

Tomasz Durakiewicz
Los Alamos National Laboratory
MS K764
Los Alamos, NM 87545
Tel 505-667-4819, Fax 505-665-7652
tomasz@lanl.gov 

Corwin Booth
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
MS 70A-1150
Berkeley, CA 94720
Tel 510-486-6079, Fax 510-486-5596
chbooth@lbl.gov 

Peter C. Burns
University of Notre Dame
156 Fitzpatrick Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
Tel 574-631-7852, Fax 574-631-9236
pburns@nd.edu 

Roberto Caciuffo
European Commission Joint Research Centre
Institute for Transuranium Elements
Postfach 2340
D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
Tel 49-7247-951-382, Fax 49-7247-951-599
roberto.caciuffo@ec.europa.eu 

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