Crystal Field Parameters and Phase Transitions in ErSb

The crystal field levels of the Er ion in a single crystal of ErSb have been measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The crystal field parameters obtained by a least squares fit to the spectra at several temperatures are: B4 = (0·473 ± 0·005) × 10−2°K and B6 = (0·59 ± 0·06) × 10−5°K, which differ considerably from the values o by interpolation from measurements on other compounds.

In addition the temperature dependence of the magnetic scattering in the vicinity of the Néel temperature (TN = 3·55°K) clearly demonstrates that the transition is second order in contrast to the first order behavior suggested by specific heat measurements. Also, any lattice distortion accompanying the magnetic ordering is less than 0.1 per cent, the resolution of the present experiment.