  The optical/infrared properties of films of vanadium dioxide (VO2) and
vanadium sesquioxide (V2O3) have been investigated via ellipsometry and
near-normal incidence reflectance measurements from far infrared to ultraviolet
frequencies. Significant changes occur in the optical conductivity of both VO2
and V2O3 across the metal-insulator transitions at least up to (and possibly
beyond) 6 eV. We argue that such changes in optical conductivity and electronic
spectral weight over a broad frequency range is evidence of the important role
of electronic correlations to the metal-insulator transitions in both of these
vanadium oxides. We observe a sharp optical transition with possible final
state (exciton) effects in the insulating phase of VO2. This sharp optical
transition occurs between narrow a1g bands that arise from the
quasi-one-dimensional chains of vanadium dimers. Electronic correlations in the
metallic phases of both VO2 and V2O3 lead to reduction of the kinetic energy of
the charge carriers compared to band theory values, with paramagnetic metallic
V2O3 showing evidence of stronger correlations compared to rutile metallic VO2.
