Photoemission signature of momentum-dependent hybridization in CeCoIn5

Abstract

Hybridization between f electrons and conduction bands (c-f hybridization) is a driving force for many unusual phenomena. To provide insight into it, systematic studies of CeCoIn5 heavy fermion superconductor have been performed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) in a large angular range at temperature of T = 6 K. The used photon energy of 122 eV corresponds to Ce 4d-4f resonance. Calculations carried out with the relativistic multiple scattering Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method and one-step model of photoemission yielded realistic simulation of the ARPES spectra, indicating that Ce-In surface termination prevails. Surface states, which have been identified in the calculations, contribute significantly to the spectra. Effects of the hybridization strongly depend on wave vector. They include a dispersion of heavy electrons and bands gaining f-electron character when approaching Fermi energy. We have also observed a considerable variation of f-electron spectral weight at EF, which is normally determined by both matrix element effects and wave vector dependent c-f hybridization. Fermi surface scans covering a few Brillouin zones revealed large matrix element effects. A symmetrization of experimental Fermi surface, which reduces matrix element contribution, yielded a specific variation of 4f-electron enhanced spectral intensity at E-F around (Gamma) over bar and (M) over bar points. Tight-binding approximation calculations for Ce-In plane provided the same universal distribution of 4f-electron density for a range of values of the parameters used in the model.