Crystallographic, Magnetic and Mössbauer Study of Phase Transition in LaVO₃

Nature of phase transition in $LaVO_3$ has been studied using X-ray diffraction, SQUID magnetometer, and $M\"{o}ssbauer$ spectroscopy with 1% of $⁵⁷Fe$ doped sample. The crystal structure was orthorhombic with space group Pnma. Antiferromagnetic phase transition temperature $T_N$ was 140K, below which a weak ferromagnetic trace has been found. $M\"{o}ssbauer$ spectra below $T_N$ were single set of hyperfine sextet, which enabled us to discard the possibility of two inequivalent magnetic sites or uncompensated antiferromagnetism. Hyperfine magnetic field abruptly disappeared as low as about 90K, much below $T_N$.