Influence of sp-d hybridization on the electronic structure of Al-Mn alloys

The influence of sp-d hybridization on the electronic structure of different Al-Mn alloys has been studied by photoelectron spectroscopy. Experimental evidence of a pseudogap in a crystalline binary Hume-Rothery alloy is provided. The pseudogap varies systematically with Mn concentration. The sp-d hybridization alone, even in the absence of Hume-Rothery mechanism, can produce the pseudogap. Existence of the pseudogap, suppression of the Mn 2p satellite, and decrease in the Doniach-Sunjic asymmetry parameter are the consequences of the sp-d hybridization. An in situ method of preparing these alloys by annealing a Mn adlayer on Al(111) is presented.