Fermi surface study on uranium-based intermetallic compounds

Fermi surface properties of various uranium-based intermetallic compounds, including a 5f-localized compound, Pauli paramagnets, heavy fermions, antiferromagnets and ferromagnets, have been investigated by means of the de Haas-van Alphen effect. For this purpose we have grown high-quality single crystals using a purified uranium metal. Both the topology of the Fermi surface and the cyclotron mass in Pauli paramagnets such as USi₃ are well explained by the band calculations. Surprisingly, the topology of the Fermi surface in heavy fermions such as UPt₃ and UPd₂Al₃ also agree with the theoretical calculations, except for their unusually large mass enhancement. We have also succeeded in detecting a dHvA oscillation in the superconducting mixed state in the heavy fermion superconductor, UPd₂Al₃. Spin-polarized band calculatioins are approximately applicable to some magnetically ordered compounds such as UBi₂ and UNiGa₅.