Electronic structure of U3+ in Cs3Lu2Cl9 and Cs3Y2I9 single crystals.

Low-temperature emission and polarized absorption spectra have been recorded for U(3+) ions diluted in Cs(3)Lu(2)Cl(9) and Cs(3)Y(2)I(9) host crystals. The experimental crystal-field levels were fitted to 13 parameters of a semiempirical Hamiltonian representing the combined atomic, one-electron crystal field (CF) as well as two-particle correlation crystal-field (CCF) operators. The red shift of the first f-d transitions from approximately 14,800 cm(-1) in the spectrum of U(3+):Cs(3)Lu(2)Cl(9) to as low as 11,790 cm(-1) in that of U(3+):Cs(3)Y(2)I(9) has been attributed to an increase in the covalence of the U(3+)-X(-) bonds.