Magnetic properties of YVO3 from susceptibility and 89Y NMR measurements

The magnetic properties of YVO3, a prototype of highly correlated d-electron Mott–Hubbard antiferromagnetic (AF) orthovanadates, are studied by means of magnetization and susceptibility measurements, coupled to 89Y NMR spectra and relaxation. Both field-cooled and zero-field-cooled conditions are considered. The history and field-dependent properties recently reported for the AF phases below TN≃113 K and TN′≃77 K are confirmed. The behavior in the paramagnetic phase and around TN is studied and it is shown how the field-induced short range order and canted-spin weak ferromagnetism is quenched in strong field, yielding (M/H)ZFC≃(M/H)FC for H≃6 T. At variance with the susceptibility in strong field, the 89Y NMR line width shows a divergent behavior for T→TN+. The 89Y relaxation rates do not display, for T→TN+, the behavior expected for spin fluctuations of AF-ferromagnetic (FE) symmetry as the one in the ordered state, possibly in view of the quasistatic character of the short range order.