b'Electronic and ThermodynamicThis novel research resulted in a better understanding of electronic, Properties of Selectedthermodynamic, and elastic properties in actinide materials, which are Uranium Compounds at Highimportant in developing new advanced (metallic) nuclear fuels.MagneticFields T hermodynamic and electronic behaviors that involve 5f electrons in the actinide materials exhibit a bewildering diversity that is difficult to fit within any conventional framework. This project focused on fundamental understanding of thermodynamic and transport properties of selected 5f- and 5d-electron materials that show both strong electronic correlations and strong spin-phonon interactions. Despite the large experimental and theoretical works carried out, the nature of the f-electrons and their coupling to lattice vibration and TOTAL APPROVED AMOUNT:magnetic fluctuations are still unclear. This project included systematic studies of $235,000 over 3 years uranium monoantimonide (USb) and vanadium telluride. To better understand PROJECT NUMBER:the interplay of many-body physics and other degrees of freedom, such as strong 19P43-013 electronic correlations, magnetism, and structural distortions, researchers performed detailed magnetic, transport, and thermodynamic, studies of these materials at PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:low temperatures and very high magnetic fields (both pulsed and continuous). Xiaxin Ding This new fundamental research related to correlated materials at low temperatures CO-INVESTIGATOR: and high magnetic fields led to a better understanding of the Kondo effect in Krzysztof Gofryk, INL vanadium telluride and to the unveiling, for the first time, a magnetic phase diagram for USb. These new results will increase our knowledge of electronic correlations in 5f-electron materials, which is of interest to the wide condensed matter physics community.(a) The magnetic field dependence of magnetization of USb crystal measured at 0.6 K and in pulsed magnetic fields up to 65 T. The oscillation in M(H) curve comes from the Gibbs effect and suggests the first order nature of the transition. Inset: 3k magnetic structure of USb. (b) A magnetic phase diagram of USb.62'