We investigate the optical properties of Al x Ga 1-x N:Mg with aluminum content of 0.61 x 0.733 in comparison to undoped and silicon doped reference samples. The ordinary dielectric functions, excitation, and emission spectra are reported at different temperatures. A comprehensive analysis yields quantitative data on the valence band structure of the ternary alloy, i.e., splitting and order of valence bands with different symmetries. Finally, the near band gap emission in AlGaN:Mg is found to be most probably dominated by donor to free-hole recombination. V C 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. [http://dx
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