Crystal field states of Tb3+ in the pyrochlore spin liquid Tb2Ti2 O7 from neutron spectroscopy

We report time-of-flight neutron scattering measurements of the magnetic spectrum of Tb3+ in Tb2Ti2O7. The data, which extend up to 120 meV and have calibrated intensity, enable us to consolidate and extend previous studies of the single-ion crystal field spectrum. We successfully refine a model for the crystal field potential in Tb2Ti2O7 without relying on data from other rare-earth titanate pyrochlores, and we confirm that the ground state is a non-Kramers doublet with predominantly |±4) components. We compare the model critically with earlier models. © 2015 American Physical Society.