Origin of infrared peaks in the optical conductivity of ytterbium compounds

Abstract

We have calculated optical conductivity [$\sigma (\omega )$] spectra of ytterbium compounds (YbAl${}_3$, YbAl${}_2$, YbCu${}_2$Si${}_2$, YbNi${}_2$Ge${}_2$, YbInCu${}_4$, YbRh${}_2$Si${}_2$, YbIr${}_2$Si${}_2$, and YbB${}_{12}$) based on the direct interband transition derived from first-principle band calculation and compared the results with the experimentally obtained $\sigma (\omega )$ spectra. The spectral feature of a peak in the middle-infrared region (mid-IR peak) and a shoulder structure in the far-infrared region (far-IR shoulder) in the experimental $\sigma (\omega )$ spectra can be described by the band calculation with a common renormalization factor. This result indicates that the infrared spectra of Yb compounds originate from the interband transition from the Yb $4f$ state but that the Yb $4f$ state shifts to the Fermi level with strong electron correlation.

4 pages, 2 figures. accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B

References in corpus (5)

• Pseudogap Formation and Heavy Carrier Dynamics in Intermediate Valence YbAl3
• Observation of an optical non-Fermi-liquid behavior in the heavy fermion state of YbRh${}_2$Si${}_2$
• Origin of Middle-Infrared Peaks in Cerium Compounds
• Infrared study of valence transition compound YbInCu4 using cleaved surfaces
• Absence of Hybridization Gap in Heavy Electron Systems and Analysis of YbAl3 in terms of Nearly Free Electron Conduction Band

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