Optical properties and electronic structure of single crystals of EuAl2 and YbAl2

The optical conductivities of single crystals of LuAl2 and YbAl2 were measu red by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the energy range of 1.4-5.5 eV for LuA l2 and 1.4-5.2 eV for YbAl2. The optical conductivity spectra of LuAl2 and YbAl2 show similar features except for a difference in magnitude. Both have peaks near 1.8-2.1 eV and broad shoulders between 3.0 and 4.0 eV. The shou lder is weaker in YbAl2. The band structure, density of states, and optical conductivity were calculated with the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbi tal method in the atomic sphere approximation. The calculated optical condu ctivity with the inclusion of energy-dependent broadening agrees well with the experimental data. Oxidation effects on the surface of the sample were modeled using a three-phase model. The calculated optical conductivity of t he clean surface is enhanced over that of the oxidized surface.