The valence state of Yb metal under high pressure determined by XANES measurement up to 34.6 GPa

The purpose of this study was to accurately determine the valency of Yb at high pressure and room temperature and to clarify the relation between the valence state and the crystal structure of Yb metal. LIII-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra were measured to determine the valence state of Yb metal in the pressure range from 0 to 34.6 GPa at room temperature, using a diamond anvil cell (DAC) and synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. In the fcc phase, Yb metal exhibits mixed valence (the mean valence ν-bar >2.1). At the fcc-to-bcc phase transition, a 0.1 jump is found in ν-bar. In the bcc phase, ν-bar(P) is an increasing function of pressure with downward curvature, reaching only 2.55 at 26 GPa. The ν-bar is only 2.65 in the hcp phase at 34.6 GPa. A tendency for saturation in ν-bar(P) to values smaller than 3.0 is found