Long Range Order and Spin-Fluctuations in Strongly Correlated Electron System with Valence Instability

Abstract Rare-earth based strongly correlated electron systems (SCES) exhibit a large variety of different ground states, ranging from the simple paramagnetism of crystal-field-split f -electron multiplets to highly unconventional Kondo-insulator states with a combination of charge gap, spin gap and valence instability, in which long-range magnetic order can eventually arise from an initially singlet state. The physical background for these properties of the electron subsystem may be clarified by performing detailed neutron scattering experiments, namely magnetic neutron scattering spectroscopy and diffraction. This report reviews the results of the previous and new experimental studies on a number of rare-earth intermetallic compounds, which shed light on peculiar features of those unusual ground states.