Abstract
Infrared optical conductivity [σ(ω)] of the intermediate-valence compound YbAl 3 has been measured at temperatures 8–690 K to study its microscopic electronic structures. Despite the highly metallic characteristics of YbAl 3 , σ(ω) exhibits a clear pseudogap (strong depletion of spectral weight) of about 60 meV below 40 K. It also shows a strong mid-infrared peak centered at ∼0.25 eV. The energy-dependent effective mass and scattering rate of the carriers obtained from the data indicate the formation of a heavy-mass Fermi liquid. These characteristic results are discussed in terms of the hybridization states between the Yb 4 f and the conduction electrons. It is argued, in particular, that the pseudogap and the mid-infrared peak result from the indirect and direct gaps, respectively, within the hybridization state.
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