Pressure-induced valence change in YbAl3 : A combined high-pressure inelastic x-ray scattering and theoretical investigation

• High-resolution x-ray-absorption (XAS) experiments in the partial fluorescence yield mode (PFY) and resonant inelastic x-ray emission (RXES) measurements were performed on the intermediate-valence compound YbAl3 under pressure of up to 38 GPa. The results of the YbAl3 PFY-XAS and RXES studies show that the valence of Yb increases smoothly from 2.75 at ambient pressure to 2.93 at 38 GPa. In situ angle-dispersive synchrotron high-pressure x-ray-diffraction experiments carried out using a diamond cell at room temperature show that the ambient pressure cubic phase is stable up to 40 GPa. The results obtained from self-interaction corrected local spin density-functional calculations to understand the pressure effect on the Yb valence and compressibility are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Annan teknik -- Övrig annan teknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Other Engineering and Technologies -- Other Engineering and Technologies not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

Keyword

SPIN-DENSITY APPROXIMATION; ELECTRONIC-STRUCTURE; YB COMPOUNDS; TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE; PHOTOELECTRON-SPECTROSCOPY; SYSTEMS; INSTABILITIES; TRANSPORT; CERIUM; CE

Material physics with surface physics

Materialfysik med ytfysik

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)