Magnetic ground state in novel valence fluctuating compound Ce2RuGe: Electronic structure investigations

Abstract The electronic band structure of Ce 2 RuGe was studied by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The compound was recently reported to bear non-magnetic ions Ce1 and magnetic ions Ce2 located at 2 a and 2 b Wyckoff positions, respectively, in its orthorhombic unit cell. As a result, Ce 2 RuGe exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering below T N = 12 K coexisting with valence fluctuations. The results of our electronic structure investigations corroborated the diverse nature of 4 f electrons in this material and showed that its unique physical behavior is a direct consequence of different strength of f-ligand hybridization at the Ce1 and Ce2 sites.