Electronic structure and bulk properties of the single-crystalline paramagnet URuGa

Abstract

The crystal structure refinement and electronic structure of the hexagonal paramagnetic ternary compound URuGa are investigated. The latter is calculated by employing full-potential local-orbital minimum basis full relativistic band-structure method, as well as probed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of both valence bands and $4f$ core levels. Good agreement is achieved between the theoretical and experimental XPS results, which show a very high delocalization of the $\mathrm{U}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}5f$ states in this intermetallic compound. The earlier reported possibility of an occurrence in URuGa of spin fluctuations has been confirmed. This phenomenon is supported by the bulk-measurement data of the magnetization, magnetic susceptibility, electrical resistivity, and heat capacity.