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Evolution of Fermi surface (FS) states of NdFeAs$_{1-x}$P$_x$O$_{0.9}$F$_{0.1}$ single crystals with As/P substitution has been investigated. The critical temperature $T_{\rm c}$ and the power law exponent ($n$) of temperature-dependent resistivity ($\rho(T) = \rho_0 + AT^n$) show a clear correlation above $x=$0.2, suggesting that $T_{\rm c}$ is enhanced with increasing bosonic fluctuation in the same type of FS state. Around $x=$0.2, all the transport properties show anomalies, indicating that $x$$\sim$0.2 is the critical composition of drastic FS change. The angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy has more directly revealed the distinct change of FS around $x=$0.2, that one hole FS disappears at Brillouin zone center and the other FS with propeller like shape appears at zone corner with decreasing $x$. These results are indicative of the existence of two types of FS state with different nesting conditions that are related with two $T_{\rm c}$-rising mechanisms in this system., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

We study the electronic structure of Tsai-type cluster-based quasicrystalline approximants, Au$_{64}$Ge$_{22}$Yb$_{14}$ (AGY-I), Au$_{63.5}$Ge$_{20.5}$Yb$_{16}$ (AGY-II), and Zn$_{85.4}$Yb$_{14.6}$ (Zn-Yb), by means of photoemission spectroscopy. In the valence band hard x-ray photoemission spectra of AGY-II and Zn-Yb, we separately observe a fully occupied Yb 4$f$ state and a valence fluctuation derived Kondo resonance peak, reflecting two inequivalent Yb sites, a single Yb atom in the cluster center and its surrounding Yb icosahedron, respectively. The fully occupied 4$f$ signal is absent in AGY-I containing no Yb atom in the cluster center. The results provide direct evidence for a heterogeneous valence state in AGY-II and Zn-Yb.

We present an angle-resolved photoemission study of the electronic structure of the three-dimensional pyrochlore iridate Nd2Ir2O7 through its magnetic metal-insulator transition. Our data reveal that metallic Nd2Ir2O7 has a quadratic band, touching the Fermi level at the Gamma point, similarly to that of Pr2Ir2O7. The Fermi node state is, therefore, a common feature of the metallic phase of the pyrochlore iridates. Upon cooling below the transition temperature, this compound exhibits a gap opening with an energy shift of quasiparticle peaks like a band gap insulator. The quasiparticle peaks are strongly suppressed, however, with further decrease of temperature, and eventually vanish at the lowest temperature, leaving a non-dispersive flat band lacking long-lived electrons. We thereby identify a remarkable crossover from Slater to Mott insulators with decreasing temperature. These observations explain the puzzling absence of Weyl points in this material, despite its proximity to the zero temperature metal-insulator transition.

Strong spin-orbit coupling fosters exotic electronic states such as topological insulators and superconductors, but the combination of strong spin-orbit and strong electron-electron interactions is just beginning to be understood. Central to this emerging area are the 5d transition metal iridium oxides. Here, in the pyrochlore iridate Pr2Ir2O7, we identify a nontrivial state with a single point Fermi node protected by cubic and time-reversal symmetries, using a combination of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and first principles calculations. Owing to its quadratic dispersion, the unique coincidence of four degenerate states at the Fermi energy, and strong Coulomb interactions, non-Fermi liquid behavior is predicted, for which we observe some evidence. Our discovery implies that Pr2Ir2O7 is a parent state that can be manipulated to produce other strongly correlated topological phases, such as topological Mott insulator, Weyl semi-metal, and quantum spin and anomalous Hall states.

We have studied the electronic structure of bulk single crystals and epitaxial films of magnetite Fe$_3$O$_4$. Fe $2p$ core-level spectra show clear differences between hard x-ray (HAX-) and soft x-ray (SX-) photoemission spectroscopy (PES), indicative of surface effects. The bulk-sensitive spectra exhibit temperature ($T$)-dependent charge excitations across the Verwey transition at $T_V$=122 K, which is missing in the surface-sensitive spectra. An extended impurity Anderson model full-multiplet analysis reveals roles of the three distinct Fe-species (A-Fe$^{3+}$, B-Fe$^{2+}$, B-Fe$^{3+}$) below $T_V$ for the Fe $2p$ spectra, and its $T-$dependent evolution. The Fe $2p$ HAXPES spectra show a clear magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) in the metallic phase of magnetized 100-nm-thick films. The model calculations also reproduce the MCD and identify the magnetically distinct sites associated with the charge excitations. Valence band HAXPES shows finite density of states at $E_F$ for the polaronic metal with remnant order above $T_V$, and a clear gap formation below $T_V$. The results indicate that the Verwey transition is driven by changes in the strongly correlated and magnetically active B-Fe$^{2+}$ and B-Fe$^{3+}$ electronic states, consistent with resistivity and bulk-sensitive optical spectra., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures Accepted in Physical Review Letters

We have performed the photoemission and inverse photoemission experiments to elucidate the origin of Mott insulating states in A-site ordered perovskite CaCu$_3$Ti$_4$O$_{12}$ (CCTO). Experimental results have revealed that Cu 3$d$-O 2$p$ hybridized bands, which are located around the Fermi level in the prediction of the local-density approximation (LDA) band calculations, are actually separated into the upper Hubbard band at $\sim$ 1.5 eV and the lower Hubbard band at $\sim$ $-$1.7 eV with a band gap of $\sim$ 1.5-1.8 eV. We also observed that Cu 3$d$ peak at $\sim$ $-$3.8 eV and Ti 3$d$ peak at $\sim$ 3.8 eV are further away from each other than as indicated in the LDA calculations. In addition, it is found that the multiplet strucutre around $-$9 eV includes a considerable number of O 2$p$ states. These observations indicate that the Cu 3$d$ and Ti 3$d$ electrons hybridized with the O 2$p$ states are strongly correlated, which originates in the Mott-insulating states of CCTO., Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures

We observed the anisotropic superconducting-gap (SC-gap) structure of a slightly overdoped superconductor, Ba(Fe$_{1-x}$Co$_{x}$)$_{2}$As$_{2}$ ($x=0.1$), using three-dimensional (3D) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Two hole Fermi surfaces (FSs) observed at the Brillouin zone center and an inner electron FS at the zone corner showed a nearly isotropic SC gap in 3D momentum space. However, the outer electron FS showed an anisotropic SC gap with nodes or gap minima around the M and A points. The different anisotropies obtained the SC gap between the outer and inner electron FSs cannot be expected from all theoretical predictions with spin fluctuation, orbital fluctuation, and both competition. Our results provide a new insight into the SC mechanisms of iron pnictide superconductors., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

With angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we studied the electronic structure of TaFe$_{1.23}$Te$_3$, which is a two-leg spin ladder compound with a novel antiferromagnetic ground state. Quasi-two-dimensional Fermi surface is observed, indicating sizable inter-ladder hopping, which would facilitate the in-plane ferromagnetic ordering through double exchange interactions. Moreover, an energy gap is not observed at the Fermi surface in the antiferromagnetic state. Instead, the shifts of various bands have been observed. Combining these observations with density-functional-theory calculations, we propose that the large scale reconstruction of the electronic structure, caused by the interactions between the coexisting itinerant electrons and local moments, is most likely the driving force behind the magnetic transition. TaFe$_{1.23}$Te$_3$ thus provides a simpler system that contains similar ingredients as the parent compounds of iron-based superconductors, which yet could be readily modeled and understood., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

The electronic structure of a quantum spin liquid compound, EtMe3Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2, has been studied with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, together with two other Pd(dmit)2 salts in the valence bond solid or antiferromagnetic state. We have resolved several bands that have negligible dispersions and fit well to the calculated energy levels of an isolated [Pd(dmit)2]2 dimer. EtMe3Sb[Pd(dmit)2]2 being a Mott insulator, its lower Hubbard band is identified, and there is a small gap of ~ 50 meV between this band and the chemical potential. Moreover, the spectral features exhibit polaronic behavior with anomalously broad linewidth. Compared with existing theories, our results suggest that strong electron-boson interactions, together with smaller hopping and on-site Coulomb interaction terms have to be considered for a realistic modeling of the organic quantum spin liquid systems like the Pd(dmit)2 salt., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

We report angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results of A-site ordered perovskite CaCu$_3$Ti$_4$O$_{12}$. We have observed the clear band dispersions, which are shifted to the higher energy by 1.7 eV and show the band narrowing around 2 eV in comparison with the local density approximation calculations. In addition, the high energy multiplet structures of Cu 3$d^8$ final-states have been found around 8 - 13 eV. These results reveal that CaCu$_3$Ti$_4$O$_{12}$ is a Mott-type insulator caused by the strong correlation effects of the Cu 3$d$ electrons well hybridized with O 2$p$ states. Unexpectedly, there exist a very small spectral weight at the Fermi level in the insulator phase, indicating the existence of isolated metallic states., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We report the origin of a high-energy kink structure of heavily electron-doped nonsuperconducting Li$_{1+x}$FeAs observed by three-dimensional angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The $d_{xy}$ orbital at the center of the Brillouin zone is strongly renormalized, indicating stronger electron correlation, exceeding that of stoichiometric LiFeAs despite the fact that the orbital characters of all bands remain unchanged. Two types of kink structure on the $d_{yz}$ band were identified: an isotropic kink at the binding energy of 20 meV, and another kink located at 100 meV observed only in the (110) direction. The higher-energy kink is considered to originate from a magnetic interaction, because the peak energy is consistent with that of a spin excitation., Comment: There is a possible candidate that the concentration of Li is mistaken

We report the electronic structure of a prototypical valence fluctuation system, YbAl2, using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The observed band dispersions and Fermi surfaces are well described in terms of band structure calculations based on local density approximation. Strong hybridization between the conduction and 4f bands is identified on the basis of the periodic Anderson model. The evaluated small mass enhancement factor and the high Kondo temperature qualitatively agree with those obtained from thermodynamic measurements. Such findings suggest that the strong hybridization suppresses band renormalization and is responsible for the valence fluctuations in YbAl2.

We use hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) to investigate the electronic structure of YbAl2, for which the Yb valence has not been consistently reported to date. The bulk sensitivity and the analytical simplicity provided by the Yb 3d core-level HAXPES allow a reliable determination of the mean valence of Yb ions. For YbAl2, it is evaluated to be +2.20, which remains nearly unchanged below 300 K. The Kondo resonance peak with an extremely high Kondo temperature (above 2000 K) is clearly identified in the valence-band spectra. The results indicate that a coherent Kondo state can be robust even in a nearly divalent system.

Optical conductivity s(w) of PrRu4P12 has been studied under high pressure to 14 GPa, at low temperatures to 8 K, and at photon energies 12 meV-1.1 eV. The energy gap in s(w) at ambient pressure, caused by a metal-insulator transition due to an unconventional charge-density-wave formation at 63 K, is gradually filled in with increasing pressure to 10 GPa. At 14 GPa and below 30 K, s(w) exhibits a pronounced Drude-type component due to free carriers. This indicates that the initial insulating ground state at zero pressure has been turned into a metallic one at 14 GPa. This is consistent with a previous resistivity study under pressure, where the resistivity rapidly decreased with cooling below 30 K at 14 GPa. The evolution of electronic structure with pressure is discussed in terms of the hybridization between the 4f and conduction electrons., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

The Kondo resonance at the Fermi level is well-established for the electronic structure of Ce (f1 electron) and Yb (f1 hole) based systems. In this work, we report complementary experimental and theoretical studies on the Kondo resonance in Pr-based f2 system, PrTi2Al20. Using Pr 3d-4f resonant photoemission spectroscopy and single impurity Anderson model (SIAM) calculations including the full multiplets of Pr ions, we show that an f2 system can also give rise to a Kondo resonance at the Fermi level. The Kondo resonance peak is experimentally observed through a final-state-multiplet dependent resonance and is reproduced with properly tuned hybridization strength in SIAM calculations.

Optical conductivity [s(w)] of Ce-filled skutterudite CeRu4Sb12 has been measured at high pressure to 8 GPa and at low temperature, to probe the pressure evolution of its electronic structures. At ambient pressure, a mid-infrared peak at 0.1 eV was formed in s(w) at low temperature, and the spectral weight below 0.1 eV was strongly suppressed, due to a hybridization of the f electron and conduction electron states. With increasing external pressure, the mid-infrared peak shifts to higher energy, and the spectral weight below the peak was further depleted. The obtained spectral data are analyzed in comparison with band calculation result and other reported physical properties. It is shown that the electronic structure of CeRu4Sb12 becomes similar to that of a narrow-gap semiconductor under external pressure., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures

Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (trPES) can directly detect transient electronic structure, thus bringing out its promising potential to clarify nonequilibrium processes arising in condensed matters. Here we report the result of core-level (CL) trPES on 1T-TaS2, realized by developing a high-intensity 60 eV laser obtained by high-order harmonic (HH) generation. Ta4f CL-trPES offers the transient amplitude of the charge-density-wave (CDW), via the site-selective and real-time observation of Ta electrons. The present result indicates an ultrafast photoinduced melting and recovery of CDW amplitude, followed by a peculiar long-life oscillation (i.e. collective amplitudon excitation) accompanying the transfer of 0.01 electrons among adjacent Ta atoms. CL-trPES offers a broad range of opportunities for investigating the ultrafast atom-specific electron dynamics in photo-related phenomena of interest.

We report on the electronic structure of the perovskite oxide CaCrO3 using valence-band, core-level, and Cr 2p - 3d resonant photoemission spectroscopy (PES). Despite its antiferromagnetic order, a clear Fermi edge characteristic of a metal with dominant Cr 3d character is observed in the valence band spectrum. The Cr 3d single particle density of states are spread over 2 eV, with the photoemission spectral weight distributed in two peaks centered at ~ 1.2 eV and 0.2 eV below EF, suggestive of the coherent and incoherent states resulting from strong electron-electron correlations. Resonant PES across the Cr 2p - 3d threshold identifies a 'two-hole' correlation satellite and yields an on-site Coulomb energy U ~4.8 eV. The metallic DOS at EF is also reflected through the presence of a well-screened feature at low binding energy side of the Cr 2p core-level spectrum. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at Cr L3,2 and O K edges exhibit small temperature dependent changes that point towards a small change in Cr-O hybridization. The multiplet splitting in Cr 2p core level spectrum as well as the spectral shape of the Cr XAS can be reproduced using cluster model calculations which favour a negative value for charge transfer energy between the Cr 3d and O 2p states. The overall results indicate that CaCrO3 is a strongly hybridized antiferromagnetic metal, lying in the regime intermediate to Mott-Hubbard and charge-transfer systems.

We study the surface and bulk electronic structure of the room-temperature ferromagnet Co:TiO2 anatase films using soft and hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy with probe sensitivities of ~1 nm and ~10 nm, respectively. We obtain direct evidence of metallic Ti$^{3+}$ states in the bulk, which get suppressed to give a surface semiconductor, thus indicating a surface-bulk dichotomy. X-ray absorption and high-sensitivity resonant photoemission spectroscopy reveal Ti$^{3+}$ electrons at the Fermi level (E$_F$) and high-spin Co$^{2+}$ electrons occurring away from E$_F$. The results show the importance of the charge neutrality condition: Co$^{2+}$ + V$_{O}$$^{2-}$ + 2Ti$^{4+}$ $\leftrightarrow$ Co$^{2+}$ + 2Ti$^{3+}$ (V$_O$ is oxygen vacancy), which gives rise to the elusive Ti 3d carriers mediating ferromagnetism via the Co 3d-O 2p-Ti 3d exchange interaction pathway of the occupied orbitals., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We investigate the electronic structure of Chromium Nitride (CrN) across the first-order magneto-structural transition at T_N ~ 286 K. Resonant photoemission spectroscopy shows a gap in the 3d partial density of states at the Fermi level and an On-site Coulomb energy U ~ 4.5 eV, indicating strong electron-electron correlations. Bulk-sensitive high resolution (6 meV) laser photoemission reveals a clear Fermi edge indicating an antiferromagnetic metal below T_N. Hard x-ray Cr 2p core-level spectra show T-dependent changes across T_N which originate from screening due to coherent states as substantiated by cluster model calculations using the experimentally observed U. The electrical resistivity confirms an insulator above T_N (E_g ~ 70 meV) which becomes a disordered metal below T_N. The results indicate CrN transforms from a correlated insulator to an antiferromagnetic metal, coupled to the magneto-structural transition., Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letters (February 2010) 11 pages, 3 figures in the main text, 1 Supplementary Information

Soft-x-ray photoemission and absorption spectroscopies are employed to investigate the electronic structures of Sr_{1-x}Rh_{2}O_{4}. Similarly to the layered cobaltates such as Na_{1-x}CoO_{2}, a valence-band satellite feature (VBS) occurs at higher binding energy to the O 2p band. We find that the VBS resonates at the O 1s edge. Additionally, core absorption shows clear x dependence in the O 1s edge rather than in the Rh 3p edge. These results indicate that the holes in the initial state mainly have O 2p character presumably due to d-p rehybridizations affected by Sr^{2+} vacancy potentials. The resultant inhomogenous charge texture may have impact on the TE transport properties at low x.

Optical conductivity [$\sigma(\omega)$] of YbS has been measured under pressure up to 20 GPa. Below 8 GPa, $\sigma(\omega)$ is low since YbS is an insulator with an energy gap between fully occupied 4$f$ state and unoccupied conduction ($c$) band. Above 8 GPa, however, $\sigma(\omega)$ increases dramatically, developing a Drude component due to heavy carriers and characteristic infrared peaks. It is shown that increasing pressure has caused an energy overlap and hybridization between the $c$ band and 4$f$ state, thus driving the initially ionic and insulating YbS into a correlated metal with heavy carriers.

Electronic structures of the quantum critical superconductor beta-YbAlB4 and its polymorph alpha-YbAlB4 are investigated by using bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. From the Yb 3d core level spectra, the values of the Yb valence are estimated to be ~2.73 and ~2.75 for alpha- and beta-YbAlB4, respectively, thus providing clear evidence for valence fluctuations. The valence band spectra of these compounds also show Yb2+ peaks at the Fermi level. These observations establish an unambiguous case of a strong mixed valence at quantum criticality for the first time among heavy fermion systems, calling for a novel scheme for a quantum critical model beyond the conventional Doniach picture in beta-YbAlB4., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revised version accepted for publication in PRL

We report the three-dimensional (3-D) momentum-resolved soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy of the Fermi liquid LaNiO$_3$. The out-of-plane and in-plane cuts of the 3-D electron- and hole-Fermi surfaces (FSs) are observed by energy- and angle- dependent photoemission measurements. The energy bands forming the electron FS suggest an $\omega^2$ dependence of the imaginary part of the self-energy and a `correlation kink' at an energy scale of 0.25 eV. In contrast, the bands which form nesting character hole FSs do not show kinks and match local density approximation calculations. The results indicate a momentum-dependent mass renormalization, leading to electron-hole asymmetry in strongly correlated LaNiO$_3$., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Physical Review B, to be published

The Magneli phase Ti4O7 exhibits two sharp jumps in resistivity with coupled structural transitions as a function of temperature at Tc1=142 K and Tc2=154 K. We have studied electronic structure changes across the two transitions using 7 eV laser, soft x-ray and hard x-ray (HX) photoemission spectroscopy (PES). Ti 2p-3d resonant PES and HX-PES show a clear metallic Fermi-edge and mixed valency above Tc2. The low temperature phase below Tc1 shows a clear insulating gap of 100 meV. The intermediate phase between Tc1 and Tc2 indicates a pseudogap coexisting with remnant coherent states. HX-PES and complementary calculations have confirmed the coherent screening in the strongly correlated intermediate phase. The results suggest existence of a highly anomalous state sandwiched between the mixed-valent Fermi liquid and charge ordered Mott-insulating phase in Ti4O7., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

Hard x-ray photoemission and optical spectroscopies have been performed on YbS and Yb metal to determine the precise $f$-electron occupation. A comparison of the photoemission spectra with the energy loss functions in bulk and surface, obtained from optical reflectivity, enables us to distinguish between the energy loss satellite of Yb$^{2+}$ peak and Yb$^{3+}$ multiplet. The results clearly indicate a purely divalent Yb state except for the surface of YbS. We demonstrate that the present method is highly reliable in identifying the electronic structure and the mean valence in $f$-electron systems.

High energy resolution photoelectron spectroscopy of conduction electrons in the vicinity of the Fermi-edge in Al and Au at the excitation energy of 880 and 7940 eV was carried out using synchrotron radiation. For the excitation energy of 7940 eV, the observed Fermi energy of Al shows a remarkable shift to higher binding energy as compared with that of Au, with accompanying broadening. This is due to the recoil effect of the emitted photoelectrons. The observed spectra are well reproduced by a simple model of Bloch electrons based on the isotropic Debye model., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

At interfaces between polar and nonpolar perovskite oxides, an unusual electron-doping has been previously observed, due to electronic reconstructions. We report on remote hole-doping at an interface composed of only polar layers, revealed by high-resolution hard x-ray core-level photoemission spectroscopy. In LaAlO3/LaVO3/LaAlO3 trilayers, the vanadium valence systematically evolves from the bulk value of V3+ to higher oxidation states with decreasing LaAlO3 cap layer thickness. These results provide a synthetic approach to hole-doping transition metal oxide heterointerfaces without invoking a polar discontinuity.

Resonant photoemission at the Ti 2p and O 1s edges on a Nb-doped SrTiO3 thin film revealed that the coherent state (CS) at the Fermi level (EF) had mainly Ti 3d character whereas the incoherent in-gap state (IGS) positioned ~1.5 eV below EF had mixed character of Ti 3d and O 2p states. This indicates that the IGS is formed by a spectral-weight transfer from the CS and subsequent spectral-weight redistribution through d-p hybridization. We discuss the evolution of the excitation spectrum with 3d band filling and rationalize the IGS through a mechanism similar to that proposed by Haldane and Anderson.

We have re-examined the valence-band (VB) and core-level electronic structure of NiO by means of hard and soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (PES). The spectral weight of the lowest energy state found to be enhanced in the bulk sensitive Ni 2p core-level PES. A configuration-interaction model including the bound state screening has shown significant agreement with the core-level spectra, and the off and on-resonance VB spectra. These results identify the lowest energy state in core-level and VB-PES as the Zhang-Rice doublet bound state, consistent with the spin-fermion model and recent ab initio calculation with dynamical mean-field theory (LDA + DMFT)., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

We have studied the electronic structure of multilayers composed of a band insulator LaAlO$_3$ (LAO) and a Mott insulator LaVO$_3$ (LVO) by means of hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, which has a probing depth as large as $\sim 60 {\AA}$. The Mott-Hubbard gap of LVO remained open at the interface, indicating that the interface is insulating unlike the LaTiO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ multilayers. We found that the valence of V in LVO were partially converted from V$^{3+}$ to V$^{4+}$ only at the interface on the top side of the LVO layer and that the amount of V$^{4+}$ increased with LVO layer thickness. We suggest that the electronic reconstruction to eliminate the polarity catastrophe inherent in the polar heterostructure is the origin of the highly asymmetric valence change at the LVO/LAO interfaces., Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures

We have performed a detailed study of Cu $2p$ core-level spectra in single layer La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$, La doped Bi$_2$Sr$_{1.6}$La$_{0.4}$CuO$_{6+\delta}$ (Bi2201) and bilayer Bi$_2$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi2212) high-temperature superconductors by using hard x-ray photoemission (HX-PES). We identify the Cu$^{2+}$ derived (i) the Zhang-Rice singlet (ZRS) feature, (ii) the $d^{n+1}\underline{L}$ (ligand screened) feature, (iii) the $d^{n}$ satellite feature, as well as the hole-doping derived high binding energy feature in the main peak. In Bi-based cuprates, intensities of the $d^{n}$ satellite features seem to be strongly enhanced compared to La$_{2-x}$Sr$_{x}$CuO$_{4}$. From x-ray photon energy dependent measurements, it is shown that the increased intensity in the satellite region is associated with Bi $4s$ core-level spectral intensity. The corrected $d^{n}$ satellite intensity is independent of the doping content or number of Cu-O layers. Our results suggest a correlation of the relative intensity of ZRS feature and hole-doping induced high binding energy spectral changes in the main peak with superconductivity., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

It has been known that the elemental Yb, a divalent metal at mbient pressure, becomes a mixed-valent metal under external pressure, with its valence reaching ~2.6 at 30 GPa. In this work, infrared spectroscopy has been used to probe the evolution of microscopic electronic states associated with the valence crossover in Yb at external pressures up to 18 GPa. The measured infrared reflectivity spectrum R(w) of Yb has shown large variations with pressure. In particular, R(w) develops a deep minimum in the mid-infrared, which shifts to lower energy with increasing pressure. The dip is attributed to optical absorption due to a conduction c-f electron hybridization state, similarly to those previously observed for heavy fermion compounds. The red shift of the dip indicates that the $c$-$f$ hybridization decreases with pressure, which is consistent with the increase of valence., Comment: 2 pages, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. Suppl

The temperature ($T$) dependent metal-insulator transition (MIT) in VO$_2$ is investigated using bulk sensitive hard x-ray ($\sim$ 8 keV) valence band, core level, and V 2$p-3d$ resonant photoemission spectroscopy (PES). The valence band and core level spectra are compared with full-multiplet cluster model calculations including a coherent screening channel. Across the MIT, V 3$d$ spectral weight transfer from the coherent ($d^1\underbar{\it {C}}$ final) states at Fermi level to the incoherent ($d^{0}+d^1\underbar{\it {L}}$ final) states, corresponding to the lower Hubbard band, lead to gap-formation. The spectral shape changes in V 1$s$ and V 2$p$ core levels as well as the valence band are nicely reproduced from a cluster model calculations, providing electronic structure parameters. Resonant-PES finds that the $d^1\underbar{\it{L}}$ states resonate across the V 2$p-3d$ threshold in addition to the $d^{0}$ and $d^1\underbar{\it {C}}$ states. The results support a Mott-Hubbard transition picture for the first order MIT in VO$_2$., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. to be published in Phys. Rev. B

Dynamical conductivity spectra s(w) have been measured for a diverse range of heavy-fermion (HF) Ce and Yb compounds. A characteristic excitation peak has been observed in the mid-infrared region of s(w) for all the compounds, and has been analyzed in terms of a simple model based on conduction (c)-f electron hybridized band. A universal scaling is found between the observed peak energies and the estimated c-f hybridization strengths of these HF compounds. This scaling demonstrates that the model of c-f hybridized band can generally and quantitatively describe the charge excitation spectra of a wide range of HF compounds., Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 3 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 76 (2007)

Semiconducting skutterudite CeFe$_4$P$_{12}$ is investigated by synchrotron x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (PES) and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Ce 3$d$ core-level PES and 3$d-4f$ XAS, in combination with single impurity Anderson model (SIAM) calculations, confirm features due to $f^0$, $f^1$ and $f^2$ configurations. The Ce 4$f$ density of states (DOS) indicates absence of a Kondo resonance at Fermi level, but can still be explained by SIAM with a small gap in non-$f$ DOS. While Ce 4$f$ partial DOS from band structure calculations are also consistent with the main Ce 4$f$ DOS, the importance of SIAM for core and valence spectra indicates Kondo semiconducting mixed valence for CeFe$_4$P$_{12}$, derived from strong hybridization between non-$f$ conduction and Ce 4$f$ DOS., Comment: 4pages, 4figures

We study the mixed valence transition ($T$$_{v}$ $\sim$80 K) in EuNi$_{2}$(Si$_{0.2}$Ge$_{0.8}$)$_{2}$ using Eu 3$d-4f$ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RESPES). The Eu$^{2+}$ and Eu$^{3+}$ main peaks show a giant resonance and the spectral features match very well with atomic multiplet calculations. The spectra show dramatic temperature ($T$)-dependent changes over large energies ($\sim$10 eV) in RESPES and XAS. The observed non-integral mean valencies of $\sim$2.35 $\pm$ 0.03 ($T$ = 120 K) and $\sim$2.70 $\pm$ 0.03 ($T$ = 40 K) indicate homogeneous mixed valence above and below $T$$_{v}$. The redistribution between Eu$^{2+}$$4f^7$+$[spd]^0$ and Eu$^{3+}$$4f^6$+$[spd]^1$ states is attributed to a hybridization change coupled to a Kondo-like volume collapse., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

Hard X-ray Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) of copper core electronic states, with a probing depth of $\sim$60 \AA, is used to show that the Zhang-Rice singlet feature is present in La$_2$CuO$_4$ but is absent in Nd$_2$CuO$_4$. Hole- and electron doping in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ (LSCO) and Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_x$CuO$_4$ (NCCO) result in new well-screened features which are missing in soft X-ray PES. Impurity Anderson model calculations establish metallic screening as its origin, which is strongly suppressed within 15 $\text{\AA}$ of the surface. Complemented with X-ray absorption spectroscopy, the small chemical-potential shift in core levels ($\sim0.2$ eV) are shown to be consistent with modifications of valence and conduction band states spanning the band gap ($\sim1$ eV) upon hole- and electron-doping in LSCO and NCCO., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Electronic structures of the filled-skutterudite compounds PrRu$_4$P$_{12}$ and SmRu$_4$P$_{12}$, which undergo a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at $T_{\rm MI}$ = 60 K and 16 K, respectively, have been studied by means of optical spectroscopy. Their optical conductivity spectra develop an energy gap of $\sim$ 10 meV below $T_{\rm MI}$. The observed characteristics of the energy gap are qualitatively different from those of the Kondo semiconductors. In addition, optical phonon peaks in the spectra show anomalies upon the MIT, including broadening and shifts at $T_{\rm MI}$ and an appearance of new peaks below $T_{\rm MI}$. These results are discussed in terms of density waves or orbital ordering previously predicted for these compounds., Comment: 4pages, 4figures, submitted to Physical Review B

Optical conductivity data s(w) of the colossal magneto-resistance (CMR) pyrochlore Tl2Mn2O7 are presented as functions of temperature (T) and externalmagnetic field (B). Upon cooling and upon applying B near the Curietemperature, where the CMR manifests itself, s(w) shows a clear transition from an insulatorlike to a metallic electronic structure as evidenced by theemergence of a pronounced Drude-like component below 0.2 eV. Analyses on thes(w) spectra show that both T- and B-induced evolutions of the electronicstructure are very similar to each other, and that they are universally related to the development of macroscopic magnetization (M). In particular, the effective carrier density obtained from s(w) scales with M^2 over wide ranges of T and B. The contributions to the CMR from the carrier effective mass and scattering time are also evaluated from the data., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B Rapid Commun