Crystal electric field splitting and f-electron hybridization in heavy fermion CePt2In7

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy to explore the electronic structure of CePt2In7, revealing weak 4f hybridization, crystal electric field splitting, and a three-dimensional Fermi surface topology.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the electronic structure and hybridization strength of CePt2In7, a heavy fermion compound, using advanced spectroscopic and theoretical methods.

Findings

Weak hybridization among 4f electrons and conduction bands

Crystal electric field splitting observed near the Fermi energy

Fermi surface exhibits a strongly three-dimensional topology

Abstract

We use high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the electronic structure of the antiferromagnetic heavy fermion compound CePt2In7, which is a member of the CeIn3-derived heavy fermion material family. Weak hybridization among 4f electron states and conduction bands was identified in CePt2In7 at low temperature much weaker than that in the other heavy fermion compounds like CeIrIn5 and CeRhIn5. The Ce 4f spectrum shows fine structures near the Fermi energy, reflecting the crystal electric field splitting of the 4f^1_5/2 and 4f^1_7/2 states. Also, we find that the Fermi surface has a strongly three-dimensional topology, in agreement with density-functional theory calculations.