Crystal-field effects in Er3Ru<sub<4Al12with a distorted kagome lattice

We report on the magnetic and elastic properties of Er3Ru4Al12 in static and pulsed magnetic fields up to 58 T. From the ultrasound results, we obtain evidence for a phase transition at 2 K related to magnetic ordering. Furthermore, in the paramagnetic state, Er3Ru4Al12 shows pronounced anomalies in the magnetization and elastic moduli as a function of temperature and magnetic field. We explain our findings using a crystal-electricfield (CEF) model that includes quadrupolar interactions and propose a CEF level scheme for this material. However, the CEF effects cannot explain all field-induced anomalies, which indicates that refined models are needed for explaining these.