Unravelling the signatures of effective spin <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>1</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>2</mml:mtext> </mml:mrow> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> moments in CeVO₄: magnetization and heat capacity study

Abstract

The realization of an effective spin (<i>J_eff</i>) ½ state at low temperatures offers a platform to study the enthralling physics behind the disordered states in certain systems. Here, we report the signatures of magnetic ground state associated with<i>J_eff</i>= ½ in CeVO₄. Our studies confirm the absence of any ordering or freezing down to 1.8 K. In the low temperature region, the Curie-Weiss fit of the inverse DC susceptibility indicate towards the presence of antiferromagnetic correlations among the Ce³⁺spins. The calculated value of effective moment (∼1.16μB) corresponds to<i>J</i>= ½ with<i>g_J</i>∼ 1.20. Further, the field dependent magnetization curve at 2 K follows a behaviour corresponding to<i>J</i>= ½ Brillouin function with<i>g_J</i>∼ 1.13. Magnetic field dependent heat capacity fits very well with two-level Schottky scheme. Our investigations suggest that CeVO₄can be a promising candidate to realise<i>J_eff</i>= ½ properties among 3D spin systems.