Lanthanide ions in metallic gold - II. Terbium and holmium

Abstract

The electronic energy levels for the two non-Kramers ions Tb 3+ , 4f 8 and Ho 3+ , 4f 10 in gold metal are analysed, making use of expressions derived by Bleaney ( Proc. R. Soc. Lond . A 424, 289-297 (1989)). Formulae for the unusual hyperfine interactions in Γ 3 doublets are presented; for triplet states the splittings are similar to those for free atoms. Experiments on radioactive 160 Tb and 166m Ho using nuclear orientation are discussed, with emphasis on the use of single crystals and small magnetic fields. Magnetic and acoustic resonance experiments are shown to be possible.