Spectrum of Nd3+ in LaCl3

Abstract

The energy levels of the Nd³⁺ ion in LaCl₃ are calculated by finding the eigenvalues of the matrices for the combined Coulomb, spin—orbit, and crystal‐field interactions within the f³ configuration. By judicious choice of the three Slater integrals and the spin—orbit coupling constant, the standard deviation between the calculated and the experimental positions of 22 terms can be reduced to 87.5 cm⁻¹. Crystal‐field parameters can be chosen which yield a standard deviation of 0.91 cm⁻¹ between the calculated and the measured splittings of 31 levels in seven terms. The calculated Zeeman splitting factors in the direction parallel to the crystal axis are in good agreement with the measured values.