4/-hybridization strength in CemMnIn3m+2n heavy-fermion compounds studied by Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

TL;DR

This study uses angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to analyze the hybridization and electronic structure of Ce 4f electrons in layered heavy-fermion compounds, revealing their dual localized and itinerant nature.

Contribution

It provides a systematic experimental investigation of Ce 4f electron behavior across various heavy-fermion compounds with detailed spectral analysis.

Findings

Identification of three heavy quasiparticle bands in all compounds

Variation in spectral intensities and energies among different materials

The f^1_5/2 / f^0 intensity ratio as an indicator of hybridization strength

Abstract

We systemically investigate the nature of Ce 4f electrons in structurally layered heavy-fermion compounds CcmMnIn3m+2n (with M =Co, Rh, Ir, and Pt, m=l, 2, n=0 - 2), at low temperature using on-resonance angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Three heavy quasiparticle bands f^0, f^1_7/2 and f^1_5/2 are observed in all compounds, but their intensities and energy locations vary greatly with materials. The strong f^0 states imply that the localized electron behavior dominates the Ce 4f states. The Ce 4f electrons are partially hybridized with the conduction electrons, making them have the dual nature of localization and itinerant. Our quantitative comparison reveals that the f^1_5/2 / f^0 intensity ratio is more suitable to reflect the 4f-state hybridization strength.