Direct insight into the band structure of SrNbO3

We present the results of a photon energy and polarization dependent angle-resolved photoemission spec-troscopy (ARPES) study on high quality, epitaxial SrNbO3thin films preparedin situby pulsed laser deposition(PLD). We show that the Fermi surface is composed of three bands mainly due to t2gorbitals of Nb 4d, in analogywith the 3d-based perovskite systems. The bulk band dispersion for the conduction and valence states obtainedby density functional theory (DFT) is generally consistent with the ARPES data. The small discrepancy in thebandwidth close to the Fermi level seems to result from the interplay of correlation effects and the presence ofvacancies. The ARPES results are complemented by soft x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements inorder to provide indications on the chemical states and the stoichiometry of the material.