Unravelling the signatures of effective spin1/2moments in CeVO4: magnetization and heat capacity study

Evolution of field induced magnetic phase attributed to higher order magnetic moments in TbVO4

Study of quantum magnetism in rare earth orthovanadates (RVO₄, R = rare earth) is a topic which is currently being investigated by the condensed matter physicists. In this work, through both experimental and theoretical tools, we report the presence of field induced magnetic phase, attributed to fifth order susceptibility, in TbVO₄, at low temperatures. The structural transition reported around 31 K, results in the formation of pseudospin-[Formula: see text] doublet ground state separated by an energy δ. Temperature dependent heat capacity indicates toward an increment in δ, on application of magnetic fields. Above 10 kOe, the Zeeman energy associated with magnetic anisotropy strengthens, resulting in an enhanced splitting of the pseudo-doublet ground state. This increased splitting stabilizes the magnetic phase associated with higher order moments. These observations are further supported by our theoretical model to evaluate δ, as a function of applied field. Our study provides a platform to study the possible presence of higher order moments in other Jahn-Teller systems.

Possible realization of three-dimensional quantum spin liquid behavior in HoVO4

The study of geometrically frustrated magnetic systems with unusual crystal field ground states offers a possibility of realizing the new aspects of physics of disordered systems. In this study, we report our results of structural, magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity measurements, along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations on HoVO₄; a compound in which the presence of a distorted kind of HoO₈polyhedral leads to multiple magnetic interaction paths. The observed broad maximum below 10 K in the temperature response of DC susceptibility curves implies the presence of short-range correlations. AC susceptibility rules out the possibility of any kind of spin freezing. Temperature dependent heat capacity measurement at zero field indicate towards the absence of long-range ordering, along with the presence of a broad maximum centered around 14 K. The residual heat capacity exhibits a characteristic power-law (T^α) behavior with the exponentαnearly equal to 2, which is analogous to that observed for other three-dimensional (3D) quantum spin liquid (QSL) systems. The DFT calculations signify the presence of dominant second and third nearest neighbor interactions, which in turn lead to magnetic frustration in our system. Our investigations suggest that HoVO₄can be a candidate for realizing a 3D QSL state.