Photoelectron spectroscopy of strongly correlated Yb compounds

The electronic properties of the Yb compounds YBCu{sub 2}Si{sub 2}, YBAgCu{sub 4}, and YbAl{sub 3} along with purely divalent Yb metal, have been investigated by means of high-resolution ultraviolet and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We present the intrinsic characteristic features of the 4{ital f} levels of Yb while accounting for lattice vibrations and the manifestation of corelike energy levels degenerate with the valence states and modified by the temperature-dependent Fermi function. For these strongly correlated Yb-based compounds, the hole occupancy values ({ital n}{sub {ital f}}{approximately}0.6) directly obtained from integration of the divalent and trivalent portions of the 4{ital f} photoemission features indicate that these compounds are strongly mixed valent. The small intensity modulation with temperature in the divalent Yb 4{ital f} levels (0{endash}10{percent} over a {ital T}=20{minus}300 K range) is discussed within the conventional framework of the photoemission process and nominal allowances for lattice variations with temperature. Results from photoemission experiments on the divalent 4{ital f} levels of strongly correlated Yb compounds are remarkably similar to the 4{ital f} levels of purely divalent Yb metal. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}