Indications of a magnetic‐field‐driven anisotropy in the hybridization gap semiconductor CeOs4As12

Abstract

AbstractThe filled skutterudite compound CeOs4As12 displays phenomena that are associated with hybridization between the 4f‐electron and conduction‐electron states. This holds especially true for a semiconducting ground state with a main energy gap as small as Δ/kB = 45 K. When subjected to magnetic field, the hybridization gap semiconductor CeOs4As12 becomes metallic below around 2.5 K. Preliminary electrical‐resistivity experiments provide evidence for an anisotropy of magnetic‐field‐induced insulator–metal transition in this cubic material. Our findings suggest a contribution of the quartet $4{\rm f \hbox{-} }\Gamma _{67}^{- } $ states to transport properties of CeOs4As12.