Magneto-optical study of the 5ƒ2 → 5ƒ16d1 transition in UO2

High field Faraday rotation and magnetic circular dichroism measurements in the energy range between 1.4 and 5.4eV are reported for UO₂. The measurements are compared with two modified atomic models for the 5?² → 5?¹6d¹ transition using LS- and jj-coupling, respectively. Excellent agreement between theory and experiment is found only for a jj-coupling treatment of the final state.The Faraday rotation for magnetic saturation is estimated to be 3 × 10⁶ deg cm^?1 at 4.5 eV.