Moment Reduction in Magnetically Ordered Samarium Intermetallics

The influence of cubic crystalline fields on the magnetic moment of the ${\mathrm{Sm}}^{3+}$ ion is calculated, with inclusion of the mixing of higher multiplet levels into the ground multiplet. It is shown that the magnetic moment residing on the samarium, which in a number of intermetallics is observed to be substantially reduced with respect to the free-ion value, can easily be explained on this basis. From a comparison with the corresponding gadolinium compounds it is found that the moment reduction by conduction-electron polarization is less important.