High-temperature antiferromagnetism in Yb based heavy fermion systems proximate to a Kondo insulator

Given the parallelism between the physical properties of Ce and Yb based magnets and heavy fermions due to the electron-hole symmetry, it has been rather odd that the transition temperature of the Yb based compounds is normally very small, as low as ∼ 1 K or even lower, whereas Ce counterparts may often have the transition temperature well exceeding 10 K. Here, we report our experimental discovery of the transition temperature reaching 20 K for the first time in a Yb based compound at ambient pressure. The Mn substitution at the Al site in an intermediate valence state of α -YbAlB 4 not only induces antiferromagnetic transition at a record high temperature of 20 K but also transforms the heavy fermion liquid state in α -YbAlB 4 into a highly resistive metallic state proximate to a Kondo insulator.

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