Spectroellipsometric study of phase transitions in d and f metals in ultrahigh vacuum

Abstract The temperature behaviour of the optical properties of iron and nickel single crystals and of polycrystalline cerium has been studied in the spectral range from 0.2 to 5.2 eV by an ellipsometric method in vacuum of p ≈10 −9 −10 −11 Torr. The influence of ferromagnetic (Fe, Ni) and isostructural (Ce) phase transitions on the optical conductivity σ are discussed in detail. From the analysis of experimental results a conclusion is made about the character of change of the electronic structure during phase transitions.