Abstract:
Samarium hexaboride (SmB6) is a topological Kondo insulator, with metallic surface states manifesting from its nontrivial bulk band structure. Being a correlation-driven insulator born of non-trivial hybridization, both the bulk and surface host compelling magnetic
and electronic phenomena. Following a brief history of SmB6, I will describe high resolution inelastic neutron scattering data in zero and 25 Tesla magnetic field that characterize the lowest energy dipole excitation as a two-fold degenerate inter-band exciton.
Combining these results with XMCD and magneto-thermal data establishes a connection between unusual impurity effects and long-standing mysteries of SmB6, including bulk metal-like properties found in the absence of bulk DC conductivity.