Electronic structure of YbNi4B compound: experiment and theory

Electronic structure of the YbNi4B compound was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The valence band spectrum at the Fermi level exhibits the domination of the Yb(4f) states, which are hybridized with the Ni(3d) states. The YbNi4B is paramagnetic and follows the Curie-Weiss law, the effective magnetic moment is smaller than that in the case of Yb+3 ion. Both susceptibility and XPS data show possibility of the intermediate valence state of the Yb ions