We have examined the valence-band electronic structures of gold and silver in the same column in the periodic table with nominally filled d orbitals by means of a recently developed polarization-dependent hard x-ray photoemission. Contrary to a commo
n expectation, it is found that the 5d-orbital electrons contribute prominently to the conduction electrons in gold while the conduction electrons in silver are to some extent free-electron-like with negligible 4d contribution, which could be related to a well-known fact that gold is more stable than silver in air. The 4d electron correlation effects are found to be essential for the conduction electron character in silver.
We have performed high-resolution hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy for the metal-insulator transition (MIT) system (V(1-x)Cr(x))2O3 in the paramagnetic metal, paramagnetic insulator and antiferromagentic insulator phases. The quality of the spec
tra enables us to conclude that the on-site Coulomb energy U does not change through the MIT, which eliminate all but one theoretical MIT scenario in this paradigm material.
Soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) has been performed for one of the heavy fermion system CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ and a $4f$-localized ferromagnet CeRu$_2$Ge$_2$ in the paramagnetic phase. The three-dimensional band structures and Fermi surf
ace (FS) shapes of CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ have been determined by soft X-ray $h u$-dependent angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The differences in the Fermi surface topology and the non-$4f$ electronic structures between CeRu$_2$Si$_2$ and CeRu$_2$Ge$_2$ are qualitatively explained by the band-structure calculation for both $4f$ itinerant and localized models, respectively. The Ce valences in CeRu$_2X_2$ ($X$ = Si, Ge) at 20 K are quantitatively estimated by the single impurity Anderson model calculation, where the Ce 3d hard X-ray core-level PES and Ce 3d X-ray absorption spectra have shown stronger hybridization and signature for the partial $4f$ contribution to the conduction electrons in CeRu$_2$Si$_2$.
We report on experimental data of the three-dimensional bulk Fermi surfaces of the layered strongly correlated Ca1.5Sr0.5RuO4 system. The measurements have been performed by means of hn-depndent bulk-sensitive soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission
technique. Our experimental data evinces the bulk Fermi surface topology at kz~0 to be qualitatively different from the one observed by surface-sensitive low-energy ARPES. Furthermore, stronger kz dispersion of the circle-like gamma Fermi surface sheet is observed compared with Sr2RuO4. Thus in the paramagnetic metal phase, Ca1.5Sr0.5RuO4 compound is found to have rather three-dimensional electronic structure.
