Actinides: Superconducting Materials

Abstract

In comparison with metallic elements, whose conduction electrons derive from atomic s‐, p‐, and d‐orbitals, superconductivity of metals with itinerant electrons from atomic f‐orbitals is a rather scarce phenomenon. This article on superconductivity of the heaviest metals intends to demonstrate that this indeed is the case. The topic is, however, of interest because these metals and, in particular their compounds, often adopt unconventional superconducting phases with new and therefore exciting properties that are not yet fully understood. In some cases, superconductivity competes or even co‐exists with other long‐range order phenomena, demonstrating that subtle details in the electronic structure and the interaction of the electrons among themselves and/or with other excitations of structural or magnetic character have to be considered.