The Kondo-lattice compound CeRhIn$_5$ displays a field-induced Fermi surface reconstruction at $B^*approx30$ T, which occurs within the antiferromagnetic state, prior to the quantum critical point at $B_{c0}approx50$ T. Here, in order to investigate the nature of the Fermi surface change, we measured the magnetostriction, specific heat, and magnetic torque of CeRhIn$_5$ across a wide range of magnetic fields. Our observations uncover the field-induced itineracy of the $4f$ electrons, where above $B_{rm onset}approx17$ T there is a significant enhancement of the Sommerfeld coefficient, and spin-dependent effective cyclotron masses determined from quantum oscillations. Upon crossing $B_{rm onset}$, the temperature dependence of the specific heat also shows distinctly different behavior from that at low fields. Our results indicate that the Kondo coupling is remarkably robust upon increasing the magnetic field. This is ascribed to the delocalization of the $4f$ electrons at the Fermi surface reconstruction at $B^*$.
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