Spectroscopic determination of the atomic f-electron symmetry underlying hidden order in URu${}_2$Si${}_2$

Abstract

The low temperature hidden order state of URu${}_2$Si${}_2$ has long been a subject of intense speculation, and is thought to represent an as yet undetermined many-body quantum state not realized by other known materials. Here, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and high resolution resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) are used to observe electronic excitation spectra of URu${}_2$Si${}_2$, as a means to identify the degrees of freedom available to constitute the hidden order wavefunction. Excitations are shown to have symmetries that derive from a correlated $5f^2$ atomic multiplet basis that is modified by itinerancy. The features, amplitude and temperature dependence of linear dichroism are in agreement with ground states that closely resemble the doublet $\hat{I}{“}_5$ crystal field state of uranium.