  We report x-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy of the electronic
structure in the normal state of metallic YFe2Ge2. The data reveal evidence for
large fluctuating spin moments on the Fe sites, as indicated by exchange
multiplets appearing in the Fe 3s core level photoemission spectra, even though
the compound does not show magnetic order. The magnitude of the multiplet
splitting is comparable to that observed in the normal state of the Fe-pnictide
superconductors. This shows a connection between YFe2Ge2 and the Fe-based
superconductors even though it contains neither pnictogens nor chalcogens. The
implication is that the chemical range of compounds showing at least one of the
characteristic magnetic signatures of the Fe-based superconductors is broader
than previously thought.
