Destruction of Kondo effect in cubic heavy fermion compound Ce3Pd20Si6

TL;DR

This paper investigates the destruction of the Kondo effect in the cubic heavy fermion compound Ce3Pd20Si6, revealing a field-induced quantum phase transition with a Fermi surface change, contributing to understanding heavy fermion quantum criticality.

Contribution

It identifies a cubic heavy fermion material exhibiting a field-induced quantum phase transition, expanding the materials basis for studying heavy fermion quantum criticality.

Findings

Field-induced quantum phase transition observed in Ce3Pd20Si6

Abrupt change in Fermi surface across the transition

Supports a materials-based global phase diagram for heavy fermions

Abstract

How ground states of quantum matter transform between one another reveals deep insights into the mechanisms stabilizing them. Correspondingly, quantum phase transitions are explored in numerous materials classes, with heavy fermion compounds being among the most prominent ones. Recent studies in an anisotropic heavy fermion compound have shown that different types of transitions are induced by variations of chemical or external pressure [1-3], raising the question of the extent to which heavy fermion quantum criticality is universal. To make progress, it is essential to broaden both the materials basis and the microscopic parameter variety. Here, we identify a cubic heavy fermion material as exhibiting a field-induced quantum phase transition, and show how the material can be used to explore one extreme of the dimensionality axis. The transition between two different ordered phases is accompanied by an abrupt change of Fermi surface, reminiscent of what happens across the field-induced antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition in the anisotropic YbRh2Si2. This finding leads to a materials-based global phase diagram -- a precondition for a unified theoretical description.