Mott Transition and Kondo Screening in f -Electron Metals

We study how a finite hybridization between a narrow correlated band and a wide conduction band affects the Mott transition. At zero temperature, the hybridization is found to be a relevant perturbation, so that the Mott transition is suppressed by Kondo screening. In contrast, a first-order transition remains at finite temperature, separating a local-moment phase and a Kondo-screened phase. The first-order transition line terminates in two critical end points. Implications for experiments on f-electron materials such as the cerium alloy Ce0.8La0.1Th0.1 are discussed.