Coexisting Kondo singlet state with antiferromagnetic long-range order: A possible ground state for Kondo insulators

The ground-state phase diagram of a half-filled anisotropic Kondo lattice model is calculated within a mean-field theory. For small transverse exchange coupling Jperpendicular < Jperpendicularc1, the ground state shows an antiferromagnetic long-range order with finite staggered magnetizations of both localized spins and conduction electrons. When Jperpendicular > Jperpendicularc2, the long-range order is destroyed and the system is in a disordered Kondo singlet state with a hybridization gap. Both ground states can describe the low-temperature phases of Kondo insulating compounds. Between these two distinct phases, there may be a coexistent regime as a result of the balance between local Kondo screening and magnetic interactions. (author)