Electron transmission between normal and heavy electron metallic phases in a Kondo lattice system

Abstract

The interface between a heavy fermion metallic phase and a “normal” (light-fermion) metal phase is discussed. The Fermi momentum mismatch between the two phases causes the carriers to scatter at the interface. The interface conductance is a monotonous increasing function of conduction electron density, nc, and is almost 60% of that of a clean heavy fermion metal at half-filling (nc=1) and can be measured experimentally. Interface experiments can be used as a probe of the nature of the homogenous heavy-fermion state and provide important information on the effects of inhomogeneities in heavy-fermion alloys.