X-ray photoemission spectra and electronic structure of GdCo4B

New results on the electronic properties of GdCo4B are reported. This compound crystallizes in the hexagonal CeCo4B type structure. The electronic structure has been studied by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). The valence band (VB) of the X-ray photoemission spectra is determined mainly by the Co(3d) and Gd(4f) bands. The VB spectrum is compared with ab initio electronic structure calculations performed with the linearized muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) method. The calculated magnetic moment of 3.276μB/f.u. is in good agreement with the experimental value, 2.96μB/f.u., of the saturation magnetization.