Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of uranium-based systems

Abstract

Uranium-based materials are used primarily in nuclear technologies and are also of fundamental interest due to the dual itinerant-localized nature of their 5f electrons, which gives rise to correlated electronic states such as heavy fermion behavior, unconventional superconductivity, and band-inversion-driven electronic states. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) provides a direct, momentum-resolved probe of the electronic structure, which governs the electronic, thermal, and optical properties of these systems. Despite the relatively small number of available studies, there is growing interest in applying ARPES to uranium-based materials, driven by the emergence of 5f quantum phenomena and advances in experimental approaches and instrumentation. This article reviews existing ARPES results on uranium compounds, outlines key experimental challenges, and discusses prospects for future progress in ARPES studies of actinide-based systems.