High-magnetic-field X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy in the mixed-valent compound YbAgCu

Nakamura, Toshiyuki*; Matsuda, Yasuhiro*; Her, J.-L.*; Kindo, Koichi*; Michimura, Shinji*; Inami, Toshiya; Mizumaki, Masaichiro*; Kawamura, Naomi*; Suzuki, Motohiro*; Chen, B.*; Ota, Hiroto*; Yoshimura, Kazuyoshi*; Kotani, Akio*

The X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra at the Yb L edge were measured in the mixed-valent heavy fermion compound YbAgCu at high magnetic fields and low temperatures. The magnetic-field-temperature (H-T) phase boundary determined by the valence state is in very good agreement with that determined by the magnetization. It is clearly found that the metamagnetism of this compound is due to the field induced valence transition. A distinctive positive peak of the XMCD spectra appears in the vicinity of the white line of the absorption due to Yb state, while no feature is observed in the XMCD spectra corresponding to the Yb state. A small negative XMCD peak was observed at a lower energy and was attributed to the quadrupole trasition from theoretical calcuration, which explains its peculicar magnetic field dependence.