Differences between LaB6 and CeB6 by means of spectroscopic ellipsometry

The optical properties of LaB6 and CeB6 have been investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results were compared with band-structure calculations. The main features of the spectra of both materials originate from optical transitions starting at boron-derived levels of similar character. A sharp peak in the joint density of states for CeB6 around 0.5 eV is observed.