Fermi Surface Properties of Semimetals YSb, LuSb, YBi, and LuBi Studied by the de Haas-van Alphen Effect

We grew the single crystals of semimetals YSb, LuSb, YBi, and LuBi with the NaCl-type cubic structure by the Sb(Bi)-self-flux method and studied the Fermi surface properties on the basis of the de Haas van Alphen (dHvA) effect. We clarified experimentally two kinds of hole pockets named beta and beta' at the r point in the fcc Brillouin zone and the compensated three electron pockets at the X points. The ratios of the volume of the corresponding three electron pockets (V-e) to the volume of the Brillouin zone (V-Bz) are V-e/V-Bz = 0.0109 or 1.09% in YSb, 1.25% in LuSb, 1.82% in YBi, and 1.85% in LuBi, revealing that these compounds are typical semimetals. These are closely related to the large spin-orbit interaction of the Bi-6p state and the large band width of the Lu-5d state compared with those of the Sb-5p and Y-4d states. We also determined the g-value of the electron pocket of branch alpha(3) from the ratio of the fundamental dllvA amplitude A(1) to the corresponding second harmonic A(2), namely, A(1)/A(2), which is close to the free conduction electron value of g = 2 and ranged from 2.1 to 2.9 in these compounds.