Self-consistent perturbation theory for dynamics of valence fluctuations

A perturbation-theoretic scheme is developed for dynamics of valence fluctuations in rare-earth systems with unstable 4f shells. The theory is formulated in close analogy to the standard Green-function method for many-body systems but without use of the linked-cluster theorem. This formulation regards hybridization between 4f and conduction-band states as perturbation and naturally incorporates the strong on-site 4f-electron correlation. Some favorable features are: (i) the approximation scheme automatically satisfies conservation laws required for response functions; (ii) realistic 4f-shell structures with crystalline-electric-field effects can be taken into account; (iii) the theory does not have divergence difficulties over the whole temperature range. In the lowest-order self-consistent approximation, explicit formulae for dynamical susceptibilities and 4f-electron density of states are presented. At high temperatures, the theory reproduces previous results obtained by the Mori method.