  In this paper, we investigate the influence of the rare earth element (R) on
the physical properties of RVO3 (R = Er, Ho, Y, Lu). For this purpose, a
theoretical work is reported in this study using ab initio method with the
intent of enhancing our knowledge of the electronic, and magnetic properties of
RVO3 (R = Er, Ho, Y, Lu) compounds. The electronic properties of these
materials show the presence of Jahn-Teller effect, with a band gap of
approximately 0.58eV, 1.57eV, 1.12eV, 1.28eV, for ErVO3, HoVO3, YVO3, LuVO3,
respectively. The magnetic contribution of Ho, Er, and V atoms in HoVO3, and
ErVO3 compounds was disentangled using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism
(XMCD). The magnetic anisotropies of RVO3 with (R = Er, Ho, Y, Lu) are studied
and analyzed using spin orbit coupling. We noticed an easy axis of
magnetization along the c-direction with strong magneto-crystalline anisotropy
energies for the non-magnetic rare earth elements (R = Lu, Y)VO3. For the
magnetic rare earth elements, the easy and hard magnetization direction were
found to be along b-axis and c-axis, and a- axis and c-axis for HoVO3, and
ErVO3, respectively. This means that instead of the standard magnetization
demagnetization process, large thermal effects can be obtained by spinning
their single crystals in constant magnetic fields. The exchange coupling
between (Ho-V) is also found to be greater than the other exchange interactions
in HoVO3. Accordingly, a large conventional magnetocaloric effect could be
created in HoVO3, since the Ho Ising moments experience a metamagnetic
transition. However, the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is expected to be lower in
ErVO3 due to the weak (Er-V) exchange coupling.
