Spectroscopic determination of the atomic f-electron symmetry underlying hidden order in URu2Si2
Abstract
The low temperature hidden order state of URu2Si2 has long been a subject of intense speculation, and is thought to represent an as yet undetermined many-body quantum state not realized by other known materials. Here, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and high resolution resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) are used to observe electronic excitation spectra of URu2Si2, as a means to identify the degrees of freedom available to constitute the hidden order wavefunction. Excitations are shown to have symmetries that derive from a correlated 5f2 atomic multiplet basis that is modified by itinerancy. The features, amplitude and temperature dependence of linear dichroism are in agreement with ground states that closely resemble the doublet 5 crystal field state of uranium.
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