Impact of f-d Kondo cloud on superconductivity of nickelates

The discovery of superconducting nickelates reignited hope for elucidating the high-Tc superconductivity mechanism in isostructural cuprates. While the superconducting gap opens up on a single band of the quasi-2D Fermi surface in the cuprates, the nickelates are known to have a 3D nature of an electronic structure with a multi-band. This raises a serious question about the role of the 2D nature for the high-Tc superconductivity. Here, employing GW + dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), we report the Kondo effect driven by the strong correlation of Nd-4f and Ni-3d electrons emerging at low temperature. The Kondo effect modifies the topology of the Fermi surface, leading to a 3D multi-band nature. Remarkably, the Kondo effect is easily destroyed by lattice modulation, leading to the quasi-2D nature. Our findings could provide a new perspective for explaining the inconsistent occurrence of superconductivity and distinct electrical resistivity behavior between NdNiO2 bulk and films, calling for an experimental measure of the Fermi surface of bulk NdNiO2.