Signature of Kondo hybridisation with an orbital-selective Mott phase in 4d Ca2-xSrxRuO4

The heavy fermion state with Kondo-hybridisation (KH), usually manifested in f-electron systems with lanthanide or actinide elements, was recently discovered in several 3d transition metal compounds without f-electrons. However, KH has not yet been observed in 4d/5d transition metal compounds, since more extended 4d/5d orbitals do not usually form flat bands that supply localised electrons appropriate for Kondo pairing. Here, we report a substitution- and temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoemission study on 4d Ca2-xSrxRuO4, which shows the signature of KH. We observed a spectral weight transfer in the gamma-band, reminiscent of an orbital-selective Mott phase (OSMP). The Mott localised gamma-band induces the KH with an itinerant beta-band, resulting in spectral weight suppression around the Fermi level. Our work demonstrates the evolution of the OSMP with possible KH among 4d electrons, and thereby expands the material boundary of Kondo physics to 4d multi-orbital systems.

Automated summary

The study observes the occurrence of KH in 4d perovskite oxide Ca2-xSrxRuO4 and finds a spectral weight transfer resembling the orbital-selective Mott phase. This study expands the application of Kondo physics to 4d multi-orbital systems.