Magnetic field-tuned Fermi liquid in a Kondo insulator

Abstract

Kondo insulators are expected to transform into metals under a sufficiently strong magnetic field. The closure of the insulating gap stems from the coupling of a magnetic field to the electron spin, yet the required strength of the magnetic field–typically of order 100 T–means that very little is known about this insulator-metal transition. Here we show that Ce3Bi4Pd3, owing to its fortuitously small gap, provides an ideal Kondo insulator for this investigation. A metallic Fermi liquid state is established above a critical magnetic field of only Bc≈ 11 T. A peak in the strength of electronic correlations near Bc, which is evident in transport and susceptibility measurements, suggests that Ce3Bi4Pd3 may exhibit quantum criticality analogous to that reported in Kondo insulators under pressure. Metamagnetism and the breakdown of the Kondo coupling are also discussed.