Abstract :
The paper presents the results of an experimental study of thermal expansion of isostructural orthorhombic ErFeO3 and ErAlO3 single crystals. Changes of lattice parameters have been investigated by X-ray measurements in the 10–300 K temperature range. Above ∼150 K, experimental results correspond well to the phonon mechanism. At low temperatures distinct anisotropic anomalies were observed in both compounds; and a correlation with the magnetic properties of the relevant ions is noted.
