  The 18.5 K superconductor PuCoGa5 has many unusual properties, including
those due to damage induced by self-irradiation. The superconducting transition
temperature decreases sharply with time, suggesting a radiation-induced Frenkel
defect concentration much larger than predicted by current radiation damage
theories. Extended x-ray absorption fine-structure measurements demonstrate
that while the local crystal structure in fresh material is well ordered, aged
material is disordered much more strongly than expected from simple defects,
consistent with strong disorder throughout the damage cascade region. These
data highlight the potential impact of local lattice distortions relative to
defects on the properties of irradiated materials and underscore the need for
more atomic-resolution structural comparisons between radiation damage
experiments and theory.
