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Unravelling the signatures of effective spin 1/2 moments in CeVO4: Magnetization and Heat Capacity study

The realization of an effective spin (Jeff) 1/2 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 Jeff = 1/2 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 (~1.16 μ_B) corresponds to J = 1/2 with gJ ~ 1.20. Further, the field dependent magnetization curve at 2 K follows a behaviour corresponding to J = 1/2 Brillouin function with gJ ~ 1.13. Magnetic field dependent heat capacity fits very well with two-level Schottky scheme. Our investigations suggest that CeVO4 can be a promising candidate to realise Jeff = 1/2 properties among 3D spin systems