Magnetic field-tuned Fermi liquid in a Kondo insulator

Kondo insulators are expected to transform into metals under a sufficiently strong magnetic field. The closure of the insulating gap stems from the coupling of a magnetic field to the electron spin, yet the required strength of the magnetic field–typically of order 100 T–means that very little is known about this insulator-metal transition. Here we show that Ce$${}_{3}$$3Bi$${}_{4}$$4Pd$${}_{3}$$3, owing to its fortuitously small gap, provides an ideal Kondo insulator for this investigation. A metallic Fermi liquid state is established above a critical magnetic field of only $${B}_{{\rm{c}}}\approx$$Bc≈ 11 T. A peak in the strength of electronic correlations near $${B}_{{\rm{c}}}$$Bc, which is evident in transport and susceptibility measurements, suggests that Ce$${}_{3}$$3Bi$${}_{4}$$4Pd$${}_{3}$$3 may exhibit quantum criticality analogous to that reported in Kondo insulators under pressure. Metamagnetism and the breakdown of the Kondo coupling are also discussed.