Crystalline Electric Field and Kondo Effect in SmOs4Sb12

Abstract

Our ultrasound results obtained in pulsed magnetic fields show that the filled-skutterudite compound SmOs${}_4$Sb${}_{12}$ has the ${\Gamma }_{67}$ quartet crystalline-electric-field ground state. This fact suggests that the multipolar degrees of freedom of the ${\Gamma }_{67}$ quartet play an important role in the unusual physical properties of this material. On the other hand, the elastic response below $\approx$ 20 T cannot be explained using the localized 4$f$-electron model, which does not take into account the Kondo effect or ferromagnetic ordering. The analysis result suggests the presence of a Kondo-like screened state at low magnetic fields and its suppression at high magnetic fields above 20 T even at low temperatures.

4 pages, 4 figures