3.

8 The f 2 Configuration 115

a non-magnetic substance. The magnetization curve can be calculated

[286] by including all crystal-field levels, and turns out to be non-linear
but the naive estimate is not that far off. Experimentally [351], PrSb
acquires a magnetic moment 0 . 8 9 ~per~ P r ion in a field of 10T at
the temperature T = 4.2K. The quenching of the angular momentum
by crystal fields is a weak effect and it can be lifted by a strong mag-
netic field which mixes the crystal-field levels and thereby liberates the
magnetic moment.
Here we can make a preliminary comment about the nature of rare
earth magnetism. Let us formally split the lattice Hamiltonian into
single-site and intersite terms
sites
3t = C + C3tij.
3tj (3.60)
j i,3

Crystal fields at site i are lumped into Xi. Our previous discussion
shows that the ground state for an even number n of f-electrons is often
a non-magnetic singlet. Even if it turns out to be a doublet or a triplet,
the angular momentum J is largely quenched. Similarly, if n is odd, the
Kramers minimum of the degeneracy belongs to a doublet. Therefore, in
most of the cases, we conclude that the single-ion ground state is either
non-magnetic, or carries a much smaller magnetic moment than what
would correspond to the free-ion J. On the other hand, it is well-known
that a large number of rare earth substances are strongly magnetic, and
that neither the high-temperature paramagnetic moments (Fig. 2.1),
nor the low-temperature ordered moments, are very different from the
free ion values. The resolution of the apparent paradox comes from
realizing that intersite (exchange) terms can act like a field and, as
we are going to discuss in Sec. 3.8.4, they can induce sizeable ordered
moments. Also, ~ B at T room temperature easily exceeds some of the
crystal field splittings and thus thermal averaging over the crystal field
levels can account for the almost full-sized paramagnetic moments (see
also Problem 3.5).

3.8.2 Tetragonal Crystal Field

More complicated level schemes arise in environments of lower symme-
try. We do not treat these in any detail, except to point out cases where