Comparison between experiment and calculated band structures for DyN and SmN

TL;DR

This study compares experimental and theoretical electronic band structures of DyN and SmN, revealing resistivity anomalies linked to magnetic transitions and validating calculations with some discrepancies.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison between experimental data and LSDA+U calculations for DyN and SmN, highlighting the agreement and differences in their electronic structures.

Findings

Both DyN and SmN are semiconductors with resistivity anomalies at magnetic transitions.

X-ray measurements agree well with calculations, except SmN's predicted zero band gap.

Experimental and theoretical results enhance understanding of rare-earth nitrides' electronic properties.

Abstract

We investigate the electronic band structure of two of the rare-earth nitrides, DyN and SmN. Resistivity measurements imply that both materials have a semiconducting ground state, and both show resistivity anomalies coinciding with the magnetic transition, despite the different magnetic states in DyN and SmN. X-ray absorption and emission measurements are in excellent agreement with LSDA+U calculations, although for SmN the calculations predict a zero band gap.