Optical conductivity study of mixed-valent quasi-one-dimensional
Phys. Rev. B 112, 235103 – Published 1 December, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tc7y-872m
Abstract
We present a combined theoretical and experimental study on the optical conductivity of , where quasi-one-dimensional Ce chains form along the axis of the monoclinic crystal. Significant hybridization-induced features are observed along the Ce chains by broadband infrared spectroscopy, demonstrating mixed-valent behavior over a wide range of temperatures (6–300 K) and energies (up to 0.8 eV). The ferromagnetic transition at 41 K had no noticeable influence on the temperature evolution of the optical conductivity. A comparison with density functional theory plus dynamic mean-field theory calculations demonstrates the quasi-one-dimensional nature of and the local character of the interactions responsible for the electronic renormalization. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the spectroscopic signatures of this mixed-valent compound are captured by theory, providing a clear distinction from the response expected in the integer-valent Kondo regime.