First-order transition from a Kondo insulator to a ferromagnetic metal in single crystalline FeSi1-xGex


First-order transition from a Kondo insulator to a ferromagnetic metal in single crystalline FeSi1-xGex

Yeo, S.; Nakatsuji, S.; Bianchi, A. D.; Schlottmann, P.; Fisk, Z.; Balicas, L.; Stampe, P.; Kennedy, R. J.

The phase diagram of FeSi1-xGex, obtained from magnetic, thermal, and transport measurements on single crystals, shows a discontinuous transition from Kondo insulator to ferromagnetic metal with x at a critical concentration, x c ≈ 0.25. The gap of the insulating phase strongly decreases with x. The specific heat γ coefficient appears to track the density of states of a Kondo insulator. The phase diagram is consistent with an insulator-metal transition induced by a reduction of the hybridization with x in conjunction with disorder on the Si=Ge ligand site

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Publ.-Id: 7242