Crystal Electric Fields in Rare-Earth Al2 Compounds

Neutron time-of-flight measurements have been performed on REAl2 compounds (RE = Pr, Ho, Er, Tm) in the paramagnetic region. Resolved crystal field transitions are observed in ErAl2 and TmAl2. We deduce crystal field parameters (x = 0.16, W = -0.030 meV) and (x = -0.28, W = +0.040 meV) for ErAl2 and TmAl2 respectively.