XAS spectra of Ce₂[MnN₃] at the Ce-M_4,5, Ce-L₃, Mn-L_2,3 and N-K thresholds

The X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Ce-M_4,5, Ce-L₃, Mn-L_2,3 and N-K thresholds was used to study the electronic and magnetic structure of the recently obtained Ce₂[MnN₃]. Manganese is found to be in a state similar to that in η-Mn₃N₂, with strong covalency between Mn and N. The multiple peaked structure in the Ce-M_4,5 and Ce-L₃ XAS spectra indicates that the valence state of cerium in Ce₂[MnN₃] is only slightly lower than that found in CeO₂ containing Ce^IV with a strong covalent mixture between Ce 4f and ligand 2p states. By simulating the Ce-L₃ XAS spectrum using a simplified Anderson impurity model the 4f occupancy was found to be 0.52 for Ce₂[MnN₃] compared to 0.49 for CeO₂ in the ground state.