  Optical conductivity [s(w)] of Ce-filled skutterudite CeRu4Sb12 has been
measured at high pressure to 8 GPa and at low temperature, to probe the
pressure evolution of its electronic structures. At ambient pressure, a
mid-infrared peak at 0.1 eV was formed in s(w) at low temperature, and the
spectral weight below 0.1 eV was strongly suppressed, due to a hybridization of
the f electron and conduction electron states. With increasing external
pressure, the mid-infrared peak shifts to higher energy, and the spectral
weight below the peak was further depleted. The obtained spectral data are
analyzed in comparison with band calculation result and other reported physical
properties. It is shown that the electronic structure of CeRu4Sb12 becomes
similar to that of a narrow-gap semiconductor under external pressure.
