RARE-EARTH ENERGY-LEVELS IN ND2CUO4, PR2CUO4, AND THE ELECTRON SUPERCONDUCTOR PR1.85CE0.15CUO4

The magnetic excitation spectra of the electron superconductor Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4 and related parent compounds Pr2CuO4 and Nd2CuO4 have been determined by inelastic neutron scattering. We observe crystal-field transitions up to about 100 meV within the Pr3+ H-3(4) and Nd3+ I-4(9/2) Russell-Saunders ground multiplets in these materials. We find that a crystal-field treatment of the Pr3+ and Nd3+ ions can adequately explain the observed excitation spectra for both Pr2CuO4 and Nd2CuO4. The obtained crystal-field parameters are close to values estimated from a superposition-model calculation and Mossbauer data. The Pr3+ and Nd3+ wave functions are found to have significant (almost-equal-to 20%) admixture of some states belonging to higher J multiplets. The calculated contributions to the susceptibility of Pr2CuO4 and Nd2CuO4 from the crystal-field states agree well with experiments. The observed crystal-field transitions in the superconductor Pr1.85Ce0.15CuO4 shift to slightly lower energies and are broadened significantly relative to the present compound due to chemical disorder from Ce doping.