Magnetic properties of YVO3 single crystals

Abstract

The magnetic properties of ${\mathrm{YVO}}_{3}$ single crystals have been studied in the temperature range from 350 to 4.2 K and in magnetic fields up to 7 T. It is found that in an applied field less than 4 kOe remarkable magnetization reversals occur at two distinct temperatures: an abrupt switch at ${T}_{s}=77$ K associated with a first-order structure phase transition and a gradual reversal at ${T}^{*}\ensuremath{\approx}95$ K without a structural anomaly. Most interestingly, the magnetization always switches to the opposite direction if the crystal is cooled or warmed through ${T}_{s}$ and ${T}^{*}$ in a field less than \ensuremath{\sim}500 Oe. In higher magnetic fields the magnetization does not change sign but has a minimum at ${T}^{*}$ and a sudden change at ${T}_{s}.$ A possible mechanism for the observed peculiar magnetic behavior is discussed, related to the competition of the single-ion magnetic anisotropy and the antisymmetric Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction accompanied by a change of orbital ordering.