Pressure-induced changes of valence fluctuation in beta-YbAlB4 probed by x-ray

We report detailed valence fluctuation phenomena in the unique quantum-critical compound 0-YbAlB4 under pressures and at low temperatures. We directly observed the drastic change in the pressure dependence of the mean Yb valence at about 3 GPa with no pressure-induced structural transition. Below 3 GPa, the anomaly in the temperature dependences of the mean Yb valence was observed at about 55 K under ambient pressure, corresponding to a previously observed reduced Kondo coherence temperature, and this temperature rapidly decreases to 22 K at 2.2 GPa, in contrast to the monotonous decrease of the high Kondo temperature (similar to 250 K at ambient pressure). The present results reveal that this reduced Kondo coherence temperature is responsible for the unconventional quantum critical behaviors in beta-YbAlB4. Above 3 GPa, it was found that the temperature dependence of the mean Yb valence exhibits a discontinuous change at low temperature (10.5 and 9 K under 4.8 and 5.5 GPa, respectively).