The new heavy fermion compound Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Ni$_3$

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2311.17903
• Publication Date: 2023-01-01
• Authors: D. M. Kirschbaum; X. Yan; Monika Waas; Robert Svagera; A. Prokofiev; Berthold Stöger; P. Rogl; Diana-Gabriela Oprea; Claudia Felser; Roser Valentí; Maia G. Vergniory; J. Custers; S. Paschen; D. A. Zocco
• Keywords: Kondo insulator; Topological insulator; Fermi energy

The family of cubic noncentrosymmetric 3-4-3 compounds has become a fertile ground for the discovery novel correlated metallic and insulating phases. Here, we report synthesis new heavy fermion compound, Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Ni$_3$. It is an isoelectronic analog prototypical Kondo insulator Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Pt$_3$ recently discovered Weyl-Kondo semimetal Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Pd$_3$. In contrast to volume-preserving Pt-Pd substitution, structural chemical analyses reveal positive pressure effect in Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Ni$_3$ relative its heavier counterparts. Based on results electrical resistivity, Hall effect, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat measurements, identify energy gap 65-70 meV, about eight times larger than that 45 Kondo-insulating background hosting Weyl nodes We show this as well other physical properties do not evolve monotonically with increasing atomic number, i.e., sequence Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Ni$_3$-Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Pd$_3$-Ce$_3$Bi$_4$Pt$_3$, but instead partial electronic density states $d$ orbitals at Fermi energy. To understand under which condition topological form these materials topic future studies.