Rare-earth aluminate (RAlO 3 , R ¼ La-Lu and Y) glass and crystalline phases were prepared by containerless levitation in an aerodynamic levitation furnace. In the RAlO 3 system, La, Nd and Sm aluminum perovskites solidified as glass and Eu-Lu and Y aluminum perovskites solidified as crystalline phases. The glass forming region decreased with decreasing ionic radius of the rareearth element. Scanning electron microscopy images and x-ray diffraction results revealed the formation of a single RAlO 3 phase from the undercooled melt. The glass transition temperature, T g , and density increased and the molar volume decreased with decreasing rare-earth element ionic radius. The refractive index at 589 nm exceeds 1.85 in each composition and a transparency of approximately 72% was achieved for the LaAlO 3 glass. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.