Abstract
Inelastic magnetic neutron scattering spectra were measured on polycrystalline β-Ce, γ-Ce and samples containing both phases. For fcc γ-Ce, a broad magnetic quasielastic response is observed with a crystal-field excitation at 16.7 meV. For dhcp β-Ce, a similar quasielastic response and a series of crystal-field excitations originating on both the cubic and the hexagonal site symmetries are expected. However, only the cubic site crystal-field excitation and broad quasielastic response are observed and, surprisingly, the magnetic spectrum of β-Ce is nearly identical with that of the γ phase. Such observations are entirely unexpected within a simple crystal-field model and probably arise from strong hybridization of the f states with the conduction band.