Spectroscopic properties of LiErF4

Abstract

Polarized absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of an LiErF4 single crystal have been recorded at different temperatures between liquid-helium temperature and room temperature. Assignments are made assuming D2d symmetry for the coordination polyhedron around the trivalent erbium ion. The energy level scheme is parametrized in terms of 20 free-ion and 5 Bqk crystal-field parameters. The optimized set of crystal-field parameters is: B02 = 303.3 cm−1, B04 = −773.3 cm−1, B44 = −935.0 cm−1, B06 = −59.9 cm−1 and B46 = −665.9 cm−1. Intensities of transitions between crystal-field levels are parametrized by a set of Atpλ intensity parameters. The reliability of the parameter sets is tested by graphical simulation of the experimental MCD spectra.