Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of U-Te Thin Films: A Unified Perspective of Hybridization Effects across Compositions

Abstract: Uranium tellurides span magnetic and superconducting ground states, yet systematic electronic-structure information across the U-Te series remains scarce. In this study, we perform photoemission measurements on freshly prepared UxTey thin films covering the range of bulk stoichiometries under ultra-high vacuum (10^-9 Pa), enabling clean surfaces and compositions matching bulk phases, including the celebrated UTe2. X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS/UPS) reveal consistent evolution of the U 4f and Te 3d core levels and valence states across the series, in good agreement with the limited bulk data. Supported by uniform ab initio calculations for all U-Te compounds, we identify systematic trends in U-Te hybridization and charge-transfer effects across the series. These results establish thin-film photoemission as a reliable route for mapping electronic-structure trends in tellurides of heavy elements with diverse electronic ground states.