Paramagnetic Behavior of Polycrystalline Samarium from 300°K to 1400°K

The paramagnetic susceptibility of polycrystalline samarium metal has been measured as a function of temperature between 300 and 1400^∘{}K. The high-temperature phase transformations do not produce noticeable discontinuities in the magnetic susceptibility, indicating that the interactions between the samarium ions are small at these temperatures. The experimental results are compared with the Van Vleck theory of paramagnetism. It appears that the energy levels of Sm⁺⁺⁺ in metallic samarium differ more from those predicted by the Russell-Saunders coupling than has been realized before. Collective magnetic behaviors resulting from the interactions between the samarium ions are briefly discussed in the light of some recent low-temperature investigations.