  We report the results of magnetization, heat capacity and neutron scattering
studies of LaVO3 single crystals. From the neutron diffraction studies, it was
found that the compound is magnetically ordered with a C-type antiferromagnetic
spin structure at about 136 K. In the vicinity of the ordering temperature, we
also observed hysteresis in the neutron diffraction data measured on cooling
and heating which indicates the first order nature of the phase transition. In
the antiferromagnetically ordered phase, the inelastic neutron scattering
studies reveal the presence of a temperature independent c axis spin-wave gap
of about 6 meV which is similar to that previously reported for the sister
compound YVO3.
