Heavy-fermion behavior in cerium-based metallic glasses

Abstract

We report the observation of the heavy-fermion behavior in the cerium-based bulk metallic glasses with an inherent strong structural disorder. The heavy-fermion behavior in the glasses with 4f electrons shows unique features not found in crystalline materials. The distribution of the f levels due to structural disorder produces internal variation from the Kondo regime to the valence fluctuation regime, with the heavy-fermion behavior at the crossover. The glasses might provide a model system to investigate some longstanding issues with electron strong correlation in complex solids.