Electronic structure of MnSi: The role of electron-electron interactions

We present an experimental study of the electronic structure of MnSi. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray photoemission, and x-ray fluorescence, we provide experimental evidence that MnSi has a mixed valence ground state. We show that self-consistent local density approximation supercell calculations cannot replicate the XAS spectra of MnSi, while a good match is achieved within the atomic multiplet theory assuming a mixed valence ground state. We discuss the role of the electron-electron interactions in this compound and estimate that the valence fluctuations are suppressed by a factor of 2.5, which means that the Coulomb repulsion is not negligible.