Field-Induced Metallic State in YbB₁₂under High Magnetic Field

Abstract

High field magnetization and magnetoresistance of YbB 12 are investigated up to 550 kOe at low temperatures with special interest in the semiconductive band gap energy under the field. Very large negative magnetoresistance is found and the system is perfectly metallic around 500 kOe with anomalous increase in the magnetization. The experimental results are explained by introducing the model that the band gap produced by the mixing of the f- and conduction electrons is destroyed by applying the field and the released f-electron gives an anomalous magnetization. The g J -value is estimated as 1.9 for the f-level and this means that \(\varGamma_{8}\) may be most favourable for the responsible f-electron at the Fermi energy.