Evidence for large thermodynamic signatures of in-gap fermionic quasiparticle states in a Kondo insulator

The mixed-valence compound YbB 12 displays paradoxical quantum oscillations in electrical resistivity and magnetic torque in a regime with a well-developed insulating charge gap and in the absence of an electronic Fermi surface. However, signatures of such unusual fermionic quasiparticles in other bulk thermodynamic observables have been missing. Here we report the observation of a series of sharp double-peak features in the specific heat as a function of the magnetic field. The measured Hall resistivity evolves smoothly across the field values at which the characteristic anomalies appear in the thermodynamic response and rules out the possibility of conventional electrons as their origin. Our observations of thermodynamic anomalies in a bulk three-dimensional electrical insulator provide the evidence for the presence of emergent dispersing fermionic excitations within the insulating bulk, which sets the stage for further investigation of electron fractionalization in other correlated mixed-valence compounds. Reports of quantum oscillations in the absence of an electronic Fermi surface in Kondo insulator candidates such as SmB 6 and YbB 12 have been under intense study. Here the authors report the thermodynamic properties of YbB 12 in a magnetic field pointing to the presence of in-gap fermionic excitations.