Strong in-plane anisotropy in the electronic structure of fixed-valence β − LuAlB 4

The origin of intrinsic quantum criticality in the heavy-fermion superconductor β-YbAlB4 has been attributed to strong Yb valence fluctuations and its peculiar crystal structure. Here, we assess these contributions individually by studying the isostructural but fixed-valence compound β-LuAlB4. Quant...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Reiss, P, Baglo, J, En Tan, H, Chen, X, Friedemann, S, Kuga, K, Grosche, FM, Nakatsuji, S, Sutherland, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2020
Description
Summary:The origin of intrinsic quantum criticality in the heavy-fermion superconductor β-YbAlB4 has been attributed to strong Yb valence fluctuations and its peculiar crystal structure. Here, we assess these contributions individually by studying the isostructural but fixed-valence compound β-LuAlB4. Quantum oscillation measurements and DFT calculations reveal a Fermi surface in βLuAlB4 markedly different from that of β-YbAlB4, consistent with a ‘large‘ Fermi surface in the latter. We also find an unexpected in-plane anisotropy of the electronic structure, in contrast to the isotropic Kondo hybridization in β-YbAlB4.