Spectroscopic signature of aging in δ-Pu(Ga)

Resonant photoemission, a variant of photoelectron spectroscopy, has been demonstrated to have sensitivity to aging of Pu samples. The spectroscopic results are correlated with resistivity measurements and are shown to be the fingerprint of mesoscopic or nanoscale internal damage in the Pu physical structure. This means that a spectroscopic signature of internal damage due to aging in Pu has been established.